NV Jean-Marc Gilet Vouvray Brut Traditionnelle

100% Chenin Blanc from “perruche,” limestone parcels with flint clays known to impart minerality. Made in the Champagne method, with 18 months of lees aging before disgorgement and bottling. 

Pours a pale golden color and shows off delicious aromas of golden apple, citrus, toast, toffee, pastry, and a hint of honey. Dry but not bone dry, medium bodied with really fresh acidity The winery recommends pairing this with “puff pastry with roasted Loire asparagus and mousseline sauce, but also simply as an aperitif or on a dessert such as a caramelized puff pastry with exotic fruits.” Sounds great!

Situated in the Vouvray appellation, this domaine is run with passion and savoir faire by fifth generation vigneron Jean-Marc Gilet.  He took over in 2003, but the domaine began in 1914 with just five acres of Chenin Blanc. Passed down from parents to children ever since then, the domaine gradually expanded its holdings and cellars. Carrying on the traditions of several previous generations, Gilet farms the domaine’s 65 acres and makes his wines in their impressive two-level, carved out underground cellars. The vineyards lie on Turonian limestone hillsides, covered with perruche (flinty clay that gives the wines their mineral character) and arbuis (calcareous clay that contributes power to the sweet wines). The temperate climate is perfect for ripening Chenin Blanc, and also for making ageworthy wines. Many of the vineyards are farmed organically, fitting with the family’s general philosophy of respect for tradition, the appellation, the grapes and the earth. Harvests are done by hand and the wines are vinified in stainless steel tanks. A small percentage of still wines are then aged in four or fifth-use barriques. The sparkling wines are racked for a minimum of 18 months. The domaine produces approximately 120,000 bottles per year of their still (Sec, Demi-Sec and Moulleux) and sparkling (Brut and Demi-Sec) Vouvrays, as well as a Touraine Brut Rosé.