Champalou 2024 Vouvray "Les Fondraux"

The Champalou 2024 Vouvray Les Fondraux is a seamlessly elegant semi-dry Chenin Blanc that glides across the palate. It's beautifully balanced: succulent fruit meets piercing minerality, all wrapped in a velvety, off-dry texture. It’s the kind of wine that embodies precision and freshness while exuding effortless charm.

Vineyard & Winemaking Overview

• Producer: Domaine Champalou, a renowned Loire Valley estate led by Catherine and Didier Champalou, practicing sustainable viticulture on clay–siliceous soils.

• Terroir: Vines planted in clay and siliceous (flinty) soils contribute to pronounced minerality and structure.

• Grape: 100% Chenin Blanc, harvested early in the day to preserve freshness.

• Winemaking: Fermentation proceeds at low temperature, then is stopped by chilling, retaining a balanced level of residual sugar. The wine ages on fine lees in wooden barrels, imparting body, freshness, and textural depth. 

• Style: Semi-sweet ("sec tendre"), with measured sweetness and minerally backbone. Domestic residual sugar is precisely crafted for harmony. 

Tasting Profile at a Glance

Pairing Ideas

• Food-friendly: Pairs beautifully with freshwater fish, delicate cold cuts, goat cheese, or lightly sweet-and-sour Asian dishes. Its lightly sweet profile and mineral underpinning offer flexibility and finesse.

• Spiced dishes: As the wine ages gracefully, it matches wonderfully with dishes featuring cumin, coriander, or white meats. 

Notable Quote

“The contrast of ripe, succulent Chenin Blanc fruit with a spike of flinty minerality is like licking honey off an arrowhead.”
— Anthony Lynch 

In short, Champalou's Les Fondraux 2024 is a standout Vouvray that nails balance, freshness, and expression. A beautifully poised sip that works brilliantly as both an aperitif and a nuanced table partner.