TN: '14 Foreau Vouvray Sec and '14 Chidaine MsL "les Choisilles"

A couple recent dry Chenins that were pretty delicious.

• 2014 Foreau Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Sec - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (6/10/2020)
  A fresher and bright fruited and floral nose with pear, apple, grapefruit pith, and a stony-mineral sense. On the palate it is sleek and stony with bright acidity, toothsome extract that manages to come across fresh and clean. It is intense yet light on its feet with more pear, sweet tart, apple, citrus pith, and some textural waxy notes. Chiseled and focused with laser like precision. Some might call this austere, but I’ll call it pinpoint focused and lean. Like drinking mineral water after licking stones. There is a sense of calm and poise to this wine that I adore. Hedonists run away as fast as you can. Finishes with mouthwatering lip smacking acidity. I love it. Held up over three nights without fading. Terrific. (94 pts.)
• 2014 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Choisilles - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire (6/10/2020)
  A thankfully light golden color.

Apple, pear, florals, quince, and lanolin on the nose. Midweighted with excellent cut. It’s chiseled with a great mix of acid, chalky-stony notes, and to a lesser degree fruit. It is a little a broader and forward than the Foreau, but that is all relative, as this is still by any measure a soil and acid driven wine. Mouthwatering and quite long. Outstanding and drinking well in a youthful mode. 93 (93 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

I preferred the precision and effortlessness to the Foreau, but the Chidaine was solid, and mostly I was happy it was not advanced.

Thanks for reading

Yes! Always nice when a 14 Chidaine shows well

Thanks for the notes!

Few years back, found some Foreau way up north here in AB. Found out they sure need some time.

thanks for the notes! Have that exact Foreau on deck, actually.

From what I understood, the Foreau Vouvray are a blend of the Le Mont and Haut Lieu vineyards, with Le Mont dominating. Makes sense to me given their stony quality, which I don’t find so much in the Haut Lieu. I tasted the 2016, which as mentioned above, is very backward but also impressive…

Not sure where you got that, Carl, as those are Huet’s vineyards. The primary Foreau vineyards are Les Ruettes and Les Perruches, which he does not include on the label. I know he also had one called Bonnet Rouge, as I’ve had a '47 with that designation.

Opened my bottle last night… totally cooked. Seems like heat damage.

Bummer Jason. Sorry to hear.

I think they are close to (but not in) Le Mont. Silex base in common?

The domaines are across the street from each other, but they have distinct vineyards and Foreau does not source from LHL or LM.

Foreau’s vineyards are not far from Le Mont.

OK, could be, but when I was there tasting, they told me that they had two vineyards, one in the cherty soils (apparently near Le Mont), and then another over closer to Haut Lieu. I don’t recall if they used those terms, or I did, but presumably they have their own names for those near Le Mont and Haut Lieu (or they were giving me completely incorrect information).

Have one 2014 Chidaine left–will need to get to is sooner than later.

Thanks for the notes! I do have also '14 Foreau Sec in my cellar and it is just one bottle so not sure if I should pop it now or wait little longer. Do you think it will last another 5-10 years?