Chenin Blanc
Vouvray, Loire, France
Bon Pinon
clay, black flint, limestone
Organic, hand harvested triple grape selection
1g residual sugar, per liter. Fermentation lasted 2-3 months with spontaneous (indigenous or wild) yeasts. The fermentation was arrested by chilling the juice, followed by a soutirage via gravity–a gentler method of transferring wine to prevent bruising or other potential harm to the grapes and must (opposed to the hydraulic pump & tube method), and it gently removes sediment. The wine then aged for 5 months in the old tonneaux, or large barrels. No fining or filtration.
15-20 years
13.2%
Unique exposure of terroir through minerality: a deep and complex bouquet of apple, quince, beeswax, flinty soil tones, white lilies, iris blossoms and a touch of citrus peel in the upper register.
Neutral cheese board with quince jam, shellfish, oysters, vegetable terrines, roasted goose
Chenin Blanc is a grape blessed with a chemical composition that gives it an extraordinary ability to age and to express ranges of sweetness. In Vouray, Chenin Blanc can be Sec (dry), sec-tendre (off-dry), demi-sec (medium-dry), or moelleux (very sweet). The Pinon Vouvray we chose for you is completely dry. The tartaric acid intrinsic to Chenin Blanc gives it aging potential, and the uneven size of fruit in the grape clusters means an uneven distribution of sugars in the fruit generously inspire different styles of Vouvray. (Tartaric acid, as you may know, is used to produce cream of tartar [hello, marshmallow fluff] and is key to producing baking powder.) Acidic composition is important for aging wine, because it prevents deterioration of flavor by preserving the flavors and aromas in wine, and it prevents the oxidization of tannin and other antioxidant compounds. Chenin Blanc is truly magnificent, producing a range of glamorous wines, and if you have a chance to try an aged Chenin Blanc from Loire, I think you’ll find it an indelible immersive experience that feels decadent but is humbly rooted in land, history, and preservation of style.
The Vouvray wines with the highest pedigree are labeled with their corresponding single vineyard. In this case the vineyard is Bon Pinon, whose vines were planted in 1945, in the shadow of WWII’s aftermath, by Camille Pinon. Domaine François et Julien Pinon, among the other top Vouvray estates, have their vineyards atop the cliffs overlooking the Loire River, where a thin layer of clay and smatterings of gravel thinly veil the breadth of limestone. The vielles vignes (designated old vines) have roots stretching deep into the limestone, enriching the vines and fruit with elegant minerality; the cool climate buttresses the vines' ability to produce their coveted acidity. What is interesting about the Bon Pinon vineyard is it has black flint infiltrating the soil: most likely redistributed by the Loire River. The effect is a striking minerality of wet pebble, and adds more to the perception of a dry Chenin Blanc.
The Bon Pinon Vouvray Sec seems like a love story, a heartfelt dedication by father and son team, Francois and Julien Pinon to the 7 generation of progenitors who planted the vines, since 1786, they now carefully tend, harvest by hand with keen precision in tandem with a talented team of vintners. From the Estate’s website: “This is the renaissance of a cuvée created by my great-grandfather - a dry wine from our oldest parcel, planted in 1945 on soils of silex noir and vinfied in our oldest foudres - old 'tonneaux' from Porto purchased by my grandfather. We're using the label from the 1950s as well as the name of the cuvée - the famous 'Buvéz du Bon Pinon.' The fermentation lasted 2 to 3 months with only wild yeasts, which participate in the effect of 'terroir.“ Both Francois and Julien were informally prodigal (is chill-prodigal a thing?): Francois studied and worked in Child Psychology and Julien studied architecture before returning to their family's wine estate.
The Chenin Blanc grapes are designated “Blanc sec du qualité,” because they are grown in a quality-level single vineyard. The label on this wine was originally designed in the 1950s and used for Camille Pinon’s original releases (Camille Is Julien Pinon’s grandfather). Francois Pinon, Julien’s father, is considered one of the greatest Vouvray producers, and if you have a chance to score one of his vintages then hold onto it, age it, and, one day, open it and reflect on the history of Vouvray and the Pinon Estate. The Bon Pinon Vouvray Sec is age-worthy if you don’t want to drink it now. I recommend holding it for a minimum of 10 years. If you drink it now and decide it is indeed age-worthy, we have limited, additional stock for our wine club members to purchase.
This is a wine that will surely impress the wine drinkers at your holiday feast, especially in fifteen or twenty years.
PS: I recommend reading more here from Louis Dressner!
Francois Pinon measuring the juices in ~1988.
Source: https://francois-pinon-vouvray.com
