2019 Sébastien Brunet Vouvray Sec Renaissance
WINEMAKER: Sébastien Brunet
REGION: Loire Valley, FR
VARIETAL: Chenin Blanc
VITICULTURE: Organic
"From 45 year old vines grown clay and limestone from 2.5 hectares; hand-harvested from mid-September to mid-October; spontaneous fermentation between 1-3 months with no temperature control; 4-5 months of lees contact and allowed to age in barrel for 8 months.
This is the older vine cuvee than the Arpent. Still made in a dry (or sec) style but in this case from 40 and 50 year old vines where the soils have more limestone and clay. The wine ferments in barrel and then continues to age in barrel as well. In 2019 there is lovely tension and a healthy streak of acidity that provides chisel to balance the gorgeously ripe fruit. Some distinct flinty minerality and a chalky note also lend complexity to this wine. This has finesse and an underlying tension to it that keeps it lively and expressive. This is great now but don't forget to put some in the cellar!" - Andrew Guard
Sébastien assumed control of his family domaine in 2006 following the untimely passing of his father, and has quickly become one of the Loire's fastest rising stars. The family vineyards stretch along the valley of the Brenne, a small tributary that runs perpendicular to the Loire and hosts vines on both the premier côteau and the plateau behind. The most northerly plots are in the village of Reugny and follow the course of the Brenne down through Chançay which is where the cellar hewn out of the tufa is located.
Everything is harvested by hand, into 15kg lug-boxes and the winemaking process sees as little intervention as possible. Just as Noël Pinguet once told me, the most important place to be in during the harvest is not out in the vines, but rather standing next to the press. Pinguet was convinced this was where the quality of the vintage was won or lost; determined by the degree of pressure and the length of the extraction. Brunet is no different; he implements a slow, gentle extraction in a pneumatic press, each load allowed up to 4h30 to ensure the capture of the best quality juice. Settling is slow and without the use of enzymes and, after 36 hours, the wines are allowed to begin their fermentation using only indigenous yeasts. As with all classic Vouvray, malolactic fermentation is never sought and very rarely occurs.