Vouvray

Loire · France · Wine Auction Prices

Vouvray, produced on tuffeau limestone slopes above the village of Vouvray just east of Tours, is the Loire Valley's most complete expression of Chenin Blanc. The appellation covers 2,000 hectares and produces every style from bone-dry Sec and off-dry Demi-Sec through Moelleux (late-harvest) and Pétillant (lightly sparkling) to fully sparkling Crémant. The defining estates are Domaine Huet — whose three cuvées, Le Haut-Lieu, Clos du Bourg, and Le Mont, have been produced biodynamically since 2000 — and Domaine de la Clos Naudin (Philippe Foreau), which produces Moelleux Réserve in the finest vintages. Vouvray's acid structure is the secret to its legendary longevity: the 1947, 1959, and 1989 Huet Moelleux vintages are still remarkable at 60–75 years of age. At auction, Huet's 1er Trie cuvées (the first selective harvest pass, concentrating botrytised grapes) represent the appellation's peak; Cuvée Constance is produced in only exceptional vintages from even more concentrated selections. Demi-Sec and Sec are underrated auction values, showing the same structural complexity as the sweet wines but with food-versatile dryness.