Loire Valley
Domaine Sébastien Brunet, Vouvray
Young Sébastien Brunet assumed control of Domaine Roche Fleurie in 2006 following the untimely passing of his father, and has quickly become one of the Loire's rising stars. Michel Brunet (Dad) inherited three-hectares (7.4 acres) of Vouvray vines from Sébastien's grandfather in 1974 and little by little, expanded the vineyard holdings to 37 acres.
All of the Brunet vine parcels are on the outskirts of the village of Chançay, where Sébastien set up a new cellar in a labyrinth of caves carved into a chalky hillside. No machines and no chemicals used at Domaine Brunet. Sébastien works his parcels by hand and employs only natural vine and soil treatments.
The domaine's range includes a textbook sparkling Vouvray, two dry still whites, and a demi-sec Chenin. Seeking to express the unique characteristics of the appellation's two distinct terroirs, Sébastien vinifies his Silex parcels and old-vine Tuffeau parcels separately for the two Vouvray Sec bottlings. He's off to a good start, as the first Brunet wine exported to the U.S. (2007 Vouvray Cuvée Arpent) received a flattering review and 90-point score from the Wine Spectator's James Molesworth.
Domaine Facts
| Vines & Wines: | 37 acres total planted entirely to Chenin Blanc Vouvray Méthode Traditionelle Brut: 30-year-old vines grown on Silex-rich clay soils Vouvray Sec Cuvée Arpent: 30-year-old vines grown on Silex-rich clay soils Vouvray Sec Cuvée Renaissance: 50+-year-old vines on limestone and clay chalks Vouvray Demi-Sec Cuvée La Folie: 50+-year-old vines on limestone and clay chalks |
| Soil: | Tuffeau and argillaceous (clay) chalks with some parcels rich in Silex and covered with Touraine's flinty Perruches. |
| Harvest: | Manual harvest in small bins |
| Yields: | Average 40 hectoliters/hectare for still wines Average 50 hectoliters/hectare for sparkling wine |
| Vinification: | Secondary fermentation for Méthode Traditionelle sparkling wine takes place in bottle. The wine is aged in manual riddling racks for almost two years before dégorgement. Dosage consists of cane sugar and aged still wine. Still wine fermentation (with indigenous yeasts) is in either temp-controlled inox cuves or barrel, depending on the wine. Elevage for Cuvée Renaissance takes place entirely in 220 liter neutral barriques. Light filtration before bottling. |
| Annual Production: | 24,000 bottles / 2000 cases of sparkling wine 12,000 bottles / 1,000 cases of still wine (three cuvées) |