© 2004, Jon-David Headrick Selections, LLC.  All Rights Reserved.

                on the banks of the Loire river and looking across the water to the vineyards of Vouvray, it is easy to see how Chenin Blanc could find a happy home here.  The gentle slopes that slowly make their way toward the fleuve are bathed in sunlight, openly exposed to the warm, long, and lazy summer and autumn afternoons that help to make wines from this area so distinctive. 

 

It is not only the stunning vineyards of Vouvray that make the best wines of this appellation some of the most impressive in the Loire.  The varietal itself, Chenin Blanc, is one of the most noble white wine varietals planted in France, rivaling Riesling for its complexity, ageability, and depth of soul.  One of the things that I have always loved about Chenin Blanc is its flexibility.  When exposed to the early morning fogs of Vouvray and the Anjou, and allowed to develop botrytis, it can be a lovely mix of candied apricots, spice, and wildflower honey with a firm acid backbone.  When fully ripe, and grown on the limestone slopes of Vouvray and Montlouis, it can be lively, packed with aromas of fresh peaches and plums, and finishing crisp and high.  When grown on the schist banks of Savennières, it is often powerful, chewy, dense, and filled with minerals. 

 

 

What I wanted to find in a Chenin Blanc was something in the middle.  A lively white with beautiful summer fruit aromas, but with an underlying mineral backbone, and a finish that was full but crisp.  I wanted all of this in a wine that was inexpensive enough for customers to buy by the case.  Vouvray “La Craie” is a custom cuvée of Chenin, taken from some of the best parcels in the appellation.  It is assembled in Vouvray, sees no wood, is bottled fresh and young, and is designed to offer the striking crispness that one expects from the Loire but with a very small amount of residual sugar for an added layer of complexity.

 

“La Craie” (or “chalk” in French) refers to the abundance of white, soft rock in the area known locally as “Tuffeau”.  High on the hills of Vouvray, one can tour the homes of locals who live in caves dug from this soft chalk.   It is found in the vineyards as well, ensuring good drainage down the slopes and keeping the soil warm at night to help keep the roots from experiencing drastic temperature changes.

 

Vouvray can be many things.  La Craie is one expression of this lovely riverbank that just happens to be one of my favorites.

vouvray “la craie”

 

Cépage:               100% Chenin Blanc

Vinification:        Very slow, controlled                                              fermentation for 20 days.

Élevage:              100% tank until April/May

Vineyard:            Hillside parcels planted on chalk just                            outside of the village of Vouvray.