{"product_id":"champalou-brut-chenin-blanc-vouvray-loire-valley-fr-nv-1500ml","title":"Champalou - 'Brut' - Chenin Blanc - Vouvray, Loire Valley, FR - NV - 1500ml","description":"\u003ch2\u003eNotes from the Winery\/Importer\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eViticulture \/ Vinification\n• Grapes are picked at maturity, early in the morning to best respect the quality of the fruit \n• Wine fermented in stainless steel and raised on fine lees before bottling\n• The final blend is made up of three recent vintages\n• A second natural fermentation takes place in bottle that gives its effervescence\n• The bottles are aged sur lattes for two years before disgorgement. \n• No dosage. Bottled with approximately 19 g\/L of residual sugar. Wine uses that sugar to create effervescence until it reaches Brut level and stops, approximately 2 g\/L residual sugar.\n\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBlend: Chenin Blanc\u003cbr\u003eVine Age: 20 years average\u003cbr\u003eSoil: Clay, limestone\u003cbr\u003eVineyard Area: 3.5 ha\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eNotes on the Producer\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eCatherine and Didier Champalou both come from a long line of vignerons—Catherine represents the twelfth generation in her family to make wine in Vouvray, while Didier, from the Poitou region just to the south, marks the sixth generation of his family to dedicate his life to the vine. Upon completing viticultural school in Saumur, where they met, the couple decided to brave it on their own, starting with modest holdings in Vouvray. Since founding the domaine in 1983, they have not only grown their vineyard land, but their label has become one of the most highly-acclaimed in the appellation. Vouvray is home to the noble Chenin Blanc, more commonly known as Pineau de la Loire in their part of the world. Blessed with ideal soils and climate perfectly adapted to the Pineau, the Champalous are veritable Chenin specialists whose diverse cuvées show off Vouvray at its very finest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the Loire's Touraine region, Vouvray enjoys a warm, continental climate during the summers. Slowly dropping temperatures in autumn make for a long ripening season, while microclimates with high humidity can also bring about the beloved noble rot in some years. The soils of clay, rocky limestone, and silex (flint) sit atop the Loire's famous tuffeau bedrock, a chalky foundation that provides freshness and finesse to the wines. The Pineau of Vouvray can be pétillant (sparkling), sec (dry), demi-sec (off-dry), moelleux or liquoreux (sweeter styles either due to botrytis or concentration by sun and wind). The Champalous master all five styles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe family now farms twenty-two hectares of Chenin Blanc. They have embraced sustainable viticulture from the start, while also integrating the use of the lunar calendar more typically associated with biodynamics. Cover crops between vineyard rows help with excess water absorption and encourage biodiversity, and they limit the number of tractor passages through the vines to reduce emissions and avoid compacting the soil. Some land is always left to lie fallow for a period of seven years in a rotation that restores the soils before replanting. As the climate becomes less predictable and extreme events like drought and frost occur more frequently, the Champalous continue to think critically about how to sustainably adapt their viticulture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Champalous have real touch in the cellar, crafting wines of great elegance and tenderness. Their Vouvrays are highly aromatic with impeccable balance at all sweetness levels, still and sparkling. No one comes close to matching their distinct style.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDidier and Catherine’s daughter, Céline, joined the domaine in 2006 after internships in New Zealand, South Africa, the Languedoc, Corsica, and Canada. Céline now runs the show at Champalou, with her parents always nearby to lend a hand when needed. There is no question that the tradition and quality for which this domaine is known will continue for many years to come.\u003cbr\u003e-Kermit Lynch, Importer\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Satellite SB","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47535152300283,"sku":"00076649","price":84.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0403\/3655\/6193\/files\/3fbee4574c7e1e25df9087f768e4ded5.jpg?v=1758242619","url":"https:\/\/satellitesb.com\/products\/champalou-brut-chenin-blanc-vouvray-loire-valley-fr-nv-1500ml","provider":"Satellite SB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}