philippe foreau vouvray moelleux 2009

"philippe foreau has been in vouvray since 1983, his first vintage. he represents the third generation on the family estate, which now covers 12 hectares. independent and not attached to any school, philippe foreau strives to get the best out of his flinty clay terroir, to produce wines with a perfect balance ""between the earth and the sky"". the winegrower has been practicing organic farming for decades, and is in the process of conversion since 2021 (the first certified vintage will be 2024). two traditions have been preserved: never malolactic fermentation (which would erase the minerality and the sharpness of the wine) and a work under wood precisely proportioned, thanks to original barrels, of about thirty years. his wines are all fermented in wood for six months, matured for a short time and bottled in april-may, without chaptalisation, acidification or yeasting. dry, semi-dry or mellow depending on the year, the wines stamped ""clos naudin"" are always very deep, mineral and the perfect expression of their terroir. the sweet wines are available in two rare cuvées: ""classique"" (raisined grapes on vines, with 50 to 80 g of sugar) and ""réserve"" (botrytised grapes, 110 to 220 g of sugar, about 2 vintages out of 10). the wines of the estate are all of excellent quality and are made for gastronomy, in a rich style with very good aromatic persistence. his son vincent took over the family estate, adding his personal touch to his father's work. unquestionably one of the greatest names in vouvray, a sure bet. the clos naudin sweet vouvray is made from 100% chenin blanc. the terroir on which these grapes grow is composed of flinty clay, which is the real characteristic of the estate. moreover, these grapes are raisined on the vines, giving this sweet wine with between 50 and 80 grams of residual sugar. the cultivation has been organic for decades, and will be certified with the 2024 vintage. in the cellar, the vinification is rather low interventionist, in old barrels. indeed, the alcoholic fermentation is triggered by the indigenous yeasts. there is no malolactic fermentation, to preserve the freshness and purity of the chenin. obviously, chaptalisation and acidification are banned. the maturation is very short, since the bottling takes place before the summer. the original barrels (300 litres) are very old (only 5% new barrels). on tasting, this wine delivers aromas of exotic fruits (pineapple), mirabelle plum, quince and acacia honey (with ageing). intense and sapid, the palate delivers superb bitters and great aromatic persistence. this wine has immense ageing potential."