2022 Pichot Clos Berger Vouvray Demi-Sec, Loire Valley

13 grms residual

Made from old vines located above the village very close to the premiere coteau vineyard of Le Marigny. Just 13 gms/litre of residual sugar. Beautifully intense and fine with great length. Demi-sec Vouvray is, after sparkling Vouvray, the most popular wine of the appellation and perhaps the most typical showing chenin blanc at it most perfumed and expressive with just delicate sweetness balancing the lively acidity and giving great length and also ageing capacity to the wines.

 Demi-sec wines tasted at the domaine going back into the 1950’s are simply a revelation and among the great wines we will taste any year. The wine is so versatile with so many foods and also so delicious as a lip smacking aperitif there really is no excuse for this wine not being the door of every fridge.

The Pichot family is one of the oldest in Vouvray with origins as restaurateurs going back to 1739 later followed by the purchase of the superb Coteau de la Biche vineyards in 1770 establishing them as growers to help supply the restaurant. Their vineyard holdings are mostly located all at the top of the village with the largest holding which makes up their classic Coteau de la Biche in the prime Vallee de Nouys which is perfectly sited for making drier styles of wine and faces south-east. The Pichot family also own most of the “premiere coteau” site of Le Marigny located just above the village opposite Clos du Bourg. These are quite simply regarded as being amongst the very best vineyard sites of the appellation.

“..in 1984 when the young Christophe Pichot, Jean-Claude’s son, acquired 8 hectares in Le Marigny, making him the main exponent of one of the appellation’s most desirable vineyards (even if it is persistently overshadowed by the likes of Clos du Bourg, Clos Baudoin and Le Mont).“ winedoctor.com

All vineyards are farmed organically with grasses grown between the rows to reduce the uptake of moisture and vigour to the vines. The average age of vines is high with the Clos Cartaud vines around 75 years old. While Vouvray as a whole produces about 40% sparkling wines and 60% still wines at Domaine Pichot more than 85% are still wines made into sec, demi-sec or moelleux and less than 15% being made as sparkling wines. The style of the wines here is among the driest of the appellation for each style with sec typically being from 3-7 gms/litre residual and demi-sec from 13-17 gms/litre with moelleux most often around 60 gms/litre. Harvesting is mostly done by hand and yields are kept low at an average 25 hl/ha.

One of the first domaines of Vouvray to export to the U.S.A. Domaine Pichot are perhaps better known in export markets than at home in France as Christophe spends most of his time ‘hands-on’ in the vineyards and winery and being such a small producer he is very focused for each step of production. Domaine Pichot are very well known for the brilliant quality of the stunning sweet wines, although their dry and demi-sec wines are also superb. Right across the range these are remarkable wines that will age effortlessly for decades (as vintages back to 1950’s very generously shared from the family cellar have demonstrated) and will also provide great satisfaction from a young age.

These are wines that should always be bought in multiple case lots as all the wines will provide great pleasure for many years and at every stage of their development. Value for money here is extraordinary. These are simply among the most popular wines that we represent and these are bound to put a smile on the face of beginners right through to the most fussy afficionados. Vouvray is well known for the incredible ageing capacity of its great sweet and demi-sec wines, and even the dry sec can age effortlessly for decades. Christophe was the very first producer of ours to start bottling under stelvin-luxe which ensures that these great wines now can age even longer without having to worry about cork taint or having to replace corks after 20 years.