2019 Vincent Carême Vouvray Plaisir l'Ancestral

WINEMAKER: Vincent Carême
REGION: Loire Valley, FR
VARIETAL: Chenin Blanc
VITICULTURE: Organic

The Plaisir Ancestral is a natural sparkling wine made in the pétillant style. The fermentation starts in tank and the wine is then bottled while still fermenting (at around 18-20 grams sugar) and then finishes in the bottle without the addition of any sugar and using only the natural yeasts. Vincent actually uses a small heater to keep the temperatures in his tuffeau caves to 14C to ensure that the fermentation continues during winter. He then disgorges (removes the sediment) from the bottles tops then up, seals them and puts them away for two years to mature.

Despite this there is a tiny amount of residual sugar (the very hot year meant that there were fewer yeasts on the grapes) which gives the wine a pleasant balance due to the lingering acidity. This is an incredibly elegant wine that displays a distinct minerality and a very fine bead. There are no sulphites added to this wine at any stage in the winemaking process.

Vincent and Tania Careme inherited 5 hectares of vines in prime Vouvray terroir (just east of the city of Tours) from Vincent’s parents. They have since bought more vineyards and rented some as well to give a total of around 15 hectares which includes the superb Le Clos terroir. Their cave is very old. It is carved into the tuffeau cliffs just near the village of Vernou. Inside the cave there are some extraordinary sculptures carved by a friend called Olivier Masson.