Medium gold color; white peach, pear, green apple, citrus, tangerine, lychee, honey, ginger, minerality, white flowers on the nose and palate.
Dry; no tannins; good acidity. Full body with slightly oily texture (a feature of chenin blanc, especially those with some oak aging). Chenin blanc from small—10 acres—vineyard northeast of Vouvray, all organically farmed, vines 40-50 years old. Fermentation with native yeast in French oak, minimum to no use of sulfites. 13.5% ABV
Anne-Cécile Jadaud and Tanguy Perrault are owners-makers, starting the effort in 2008 when they acquired part of the property. They later expanded the property, but it remains small, allowing them precise control and focused attention on operation. The wine is named for drunk birds. Thrushes—les grives—get drunk—soûles—from eating ripe berries that have begun to ferment inside the grape at harvest time (thus the illustration on the label).
The website notes: “Tanguy Perrault and Anne-Cécile Jadaud manage together a small 4-hectares vineyard in Touraine, Loire Valley, France. The couple naturally divided among themselves the management of the vines located in Vouvray, Vernou-sur-Brenne and Noizay. Tanguy, a former teacher at the Amboise high-school in oenology, engages in the work of the soils and the grapes. His wife, a former consultant in oenology to the winegrowers in the Touraine region, handles the winemaking and the sales. The estate is certified in agronomic viticulture, and only indigenous yeasts trigger the alcoholic fermentation.”
Domaine Perrault-Jadaud Sec Les Grives Soûles Vouvray 2021 elegant, fragrant expression of Vouvray—chenin blanc—from intense makers focused on organic farming and minimal intervention—almost no no sulfites used in the making. From vines up to 80-plus years old with fermentation in small, 79-gallon French oak barrels. This is “sec” wine, which is dry in French descriptions, but there is a hint of sweetness—honey note—from the ripe grapes, from the alcohol, and other factors. That is routine in “dry” wine today, and will be welcomed by many drinkers. Pair with rich fish—salmon, tuna, halibut, swordfish, cod; lobster, prawns, scallops. Poultry—roast chicken, chicken Kiev; turkey with cranberry sauce/jelly. Pork chops prepared with apples or apricots. Quiche. Asparagus—one of the few wines that will pair. Cheese—goat cheeses, fresh chèvre; soft, creamy cheese—brie, camembert, triple-crème; comté, gruyère, young gouda; fresh mozzarella, ricotta, feta. $15-25