Description
Philippe Foreau, Vouvray Sec
We’ve been on a tear lately when it comes to presenting well-aged, well-stored wines at attractive prices, but this ’14 from Loire legend Philippe Foreau may be the belle of the ball. It’s so enthralling, in fact, that I took time off from my normal Italian wine beat to add my rhapsodic two cents. Much like older Riesling, older Chenin Blanc is a fascinating shape-shifter, loaded with texture and exotic aromas but also startling freshness. And when the producer is über-traditionalist Philippe Foreau, we’re not just in “best-in-class” territory but “best-in-world” territory.
This is a benchmark white wine, beloved by sommeliers the world over for its incredible longevity and enduring value. This is truly a winery from another era, right down to the eye-poppingly fair prices, and I’ll take a time-honored classic over a flash in the pan any day of the week. The magic of great Chenin, like that of great Riesling, is its ability to retain high levels of acidity alongside elevated levels of fruit concentration—to the point where even a wine with some residual sugar still finishes bone dry. Foreau’s 2014 is electrifying and luxurious in equal measure, loaded with bruised pear/apple fruit and shot through with a signature flinty minerality. It’s what I’d call an “essential” wine—taste it and commit it to memory because it captures the essence of its region and grape like few others.
Aged in ancient wood barrels that have blackened on the outside over the course of some 30 years of use, the Foreau Vouvrays—whether dry or sweet—always display the profound influence of the limestone and flint soils they are grown in. While many supposedly dry or “sec” Vouvrays possess noticeable sweetness on the finish, Foreau remains a defiant exception. You can feel the richness on the palate, but a wave of focused acidity rushes through right behind it, buttoning up a bone-dry finish. The only other grape I can think of with this chameleonic quality is Riesling.
The Foreau domaine as we know it today was purchased by Philippe Foreau’s grandfather in 1923. Farming has always been conscientious but, as of the last few years, is now fully organic. Foreau’s still whites are fermented in a mix of young and mature 300-liter French oak barrels. The wine is racked a few times before bottling in May of the year following harvest. This is a simple, pure approach to Vouvray, resulting in a “house style” that is linear, deeply mineral, and clean, versus the more oxidative, lees- and oak-driven styles that abound in Vouvray.
Foreau’s 2014 Sec shines a deep, lustrous gold in the glass, with exotic aromas of poached quince, red and yellow apple, pear, acacia honey, wild herbs, raw hazelnuts, and wet stones. Medium-plus in body and displaying just the right amount of oxidation, it lingers on the mouthwatering finish for what seems like minutes, and as with past vintages of this wine, it responds well to being open for several days, getting better every step of the way. Decant it a good hour before serving at 50-55 in larger red-wine stems to really bring out its mature aromas and viscous texture. The honeyed richness of the wine at this stage of its life (and there’s still a good decade to go) calls for a beautifully fresh piece of fish slathered in brown butter and capers—a sumptuous pairing you won’t soon forget. Enjoy!
