Home > Producer Profiles > Loire Profiles > Champalou

Champalou

Catherine Champalou was busy when I arrived at her family home, conducting business on the telephone in a room that looked like a cross between an office and a kitchen. I was, of course, far too polite to listen in, so I can only imagine what the conversation pertained to. Quite possibly she was talking to some level-headed wine merchant eager to get their hands on some of Didier and Catherine Champalou's Vouvray from either the 2002 or 2003 vintage, both successful years for the region.

With her business done, Catherine escorted me to her tasting area, in a building across the courtyard from the house. Although of very sympathetic construction this building looks to be a very recent addition to the Champalou estate, and inside this suspicion is confirmed. A smart tasting area sits in the corner of the room, and a new wooden staircase leads down to the barrel cellar. Catherine is a consummate businesswoman and vigneron, too ready to converse in English but I insisted we continue in French - probably to my detriment. I had recently made her acquaintance in London and this was our second meeting, so perhaps by now she was getting used to my comparatively infantile knowledge of her language. Perhaps she was also getting used to me mistakenly referring to her husband Didier as Christophe, an error about which a Freudian analyst would have plenty to say I'm sure!

The aim of my visit which was to see for myself the place where one of Vouvray's leading winemakers casts her spells. Didier and Catherine Champalou are both descended from vignerons, and had both graduated from the agricultural college at Montreuil-Bellay. They obviously had a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve, and went on to establish their domaine in Vouvray in 1984. Within a few years, helped by some great vintages at the end of the 1980s, they were producing some of Vouvray's most stunning wines, and today they rank among the top vignerons of the town, together with Huet and Domaine des Aubuisières. Didier's main concern is the vineyards, whereas Catherine looks after fermentation and other activities in the cellar.

The range of wines here includes a non-vintage Vouvray Mousseux, sparkling Chenin which rivals the best sparkling Vouvrays for those that enjoy that sort of thing. The cuvées of Vouvray begin with a standard Vouvray Sec, but this is eclipsed by the Vouvray Les Fondraux, a wine made from Chenin grown on clay-flint soils and aged in old casks. This in turn takes second place, in my personal opinion, to Vouvray Clos du Portail, made from the Chenin that grows in the small walled vineyard directly adjacent to the Champalou home. There are two fabulous cuvées of sweet wine available from Champalou, starting with the straight Vouvray Moelleuse, a wonderful example of sweet Chenin made from botrytised grapes, with fresh and vivacious acidity. The crowning glory is the Vouvray Trie de Vendange, sometimes also referred to as Cuvée Catherine or Cuvée CC; this is made from carefully selected botrytised grapes harvested on sequential passes (tries) through the vineyards, and is available in small quantities, typically in 50cl bottles. The last two wines can be easily confused, as both have a bold CC on the label; look for the Trie de Vendange designation to tell them apart. (19/8/04)

Contact details:
Address: Le Portail, 7 rue du Grand Ormeau, 37210 Vouvray
Telephone: +33 (0) 2 47 52 64 49
Fax: +33 (0) 2 47 52 67 99
Internet: www.champalou.com

Champalou - Tasting Notes

Click to locate stockists.

Champalou Vouvray 2006: Catherine and Didier Champalou are respected growers based very near Vouvray, but this was a very poor vintage for the region. The wines has attractive, soft, minerally, restrained fruits on the nose, which seems fairly open and harmonious. The palate seems rather fat but fresh, with gentle acidity, a rounded and slightly sappy character, and a nice streak of mineral. Harmonious, juicy and fresh, this is a well made 2006. From an Enotria tasting. 15.5-16/20 (February 2009)

Champalou Vouvray Les Fondraux 2003: Rounded minerally fruit with a touch of honey again here, but showing much more structure on a nicely rounded palate here. Clean, some sweetness, minerally like the nose. A touch more concentration. Good. 15+/20 (May 2004)

Champalou Vouvray 2002: A very expressive, stylish nose, of minerals with a touch of honey. Clean mineral and chalk character on the palate. Rounds out in the mouth, with a honey streak like the nose. Balanced. Good. 15+/20 (May 2004)

Champalou Vouvray Clos du Portail 2002: Wonderful, aromatic, mineral, plump pineapple and dried fruit nose. Classic Chenin with a stony edge, and suggesting a little more richness on the nose than previously. Beautiful palate, with fresh yet weighty mineral fruit. This has real grip and verve, and displays superb balance that causes the wine to simply glide across the palate. Continues to open out, building weight and flavour, before a pepper-laden finish. Quite some length too. Fantastic wine, which may yet develop further. From a Loire Extravaganza tasting. 17+/20 (July 2005)

Champalou Vouvray Clos du Portail 2002: A special cuvée made from the vines around the Champalou home, and Catherine informs me sold only from the domaine (although I have seen it listed by one UK merchant). Potent, mineral, aromatic nose. Lovely balance and elegance on the palate with fresh flavour, almost smoky minerals and vibrancy. This is one of the greatest dry Vouvrays I have tasted from Champalou. 17+/20 (June 2004)

Champalou Vouvray Cuvée Moelleuse 2002: Pale hue. Water-light nose, floral and suggestive of delicate sweetness. Sweet, weighty, balanced palate, showing fresh, floral, slightly minty white fruit. Full structure, with fine acidity and a little grip. This is pleasant now, but brimming with potential for the future. My score reflects hope of development rather than current pleasure - this needs ten years minimum. From a Loire Extravaganza tasting. 18+/20 (July 2005)

Champalou Vouvray Cuvée Moelleuse 2002: My second tasting of this cuvée in just a few weeks. As before, fresh nose. Elegance and freshness on the palate, balanced sweetness. Finesse rather than power from this vintage. Excellence indeed. 18+/20 (June 2004)

Champalou Vouvray Cuvée Moelleuse 2002: A restrained nose, with floral and acacia notes. A fabulous palate; elegant, with wonderful texture and superbly balanced acidity. Pure, minerally, a lick of fruit and a sweet honeyed streak. Shows real class. This is brilliant. 18+/20 (May 2004)

Champalou Vouvray Cuvée Moelleuse 1996, and there has certainly been development during that time, evident first of all in the colour, which as a slightly deeper, golden tinge than the pale hue it has displayed on previous tastings. The nose too has a new dimension, honeyed and crystalline, with a quartz-like crispness, quince, straw and herbal tea - these are very welcome developments, and this wine now shows much more what I would expect from such a cuvée. Lovely gentle sweetness on the palate, broad and crystalline, buoyed up by firm acidity which will keep this wine going for years I would think. Notes of orange, marrowy flesh, but well framed and structured, and overall very fine. Grippy finish too. Still very much on the way up. For label images and more see my Wine of the Week write-up. 17.5+/20 (January 2010)

Champalou Vouvray Cuvée Moelleuse 1996: A pale hue, as I noted with my last tasting, over two years ago. The nose offers some fairly classic aromas, of quince and honey, offset by a firm, mineral, chalky character not noted with my last bottle. Fine presence on the palate, moderately sweet, demonstrating a light, ethereal character with some pleasingly fresh acidity. Nicely balanced, and with a good length. At first it appears as though this wine has changed little, but with some air it does begin to show a very welcome caramel and toffee character, and develops a real melting, buttery, creaminess on the endpalate. It's subtle, though. But with a few more years, and then a few more, this could be truly great. 17.5+/20 (April 2006)

Champalou Vouvray Cuvée Moelleuse 1996: A moderate, lemon-gold colour offers no clue to the delights that await. A fresh, vibrant nose gives some suggestion, with its aromas of honey, quince, herbs and tea. The same on the palate, which is full of life. Deliciously fresh and exciting, with some richness, and delightful balance. Fantastic acidity, with a green apple and quince character, which underpins the developing honeyed mouthfeel. Brilliant. This was a perfect match for some Stilton from the Cropwell Bishop Creamery. 18+/20 (August 2003) Label

Champalou Vouvray Moelleux 1990: A pale hue. Attractive, fresh lemony acidity on the nose. An abundance of sweet dessert fruit on the palate, with fantastic acidity. Beautifully fresh wine, with more good fruit on the finish. From a 1990 vintage ten year on blind tasting. 18/20 (August 2000)

Tasting notes are ordered by date of tasting, most recent first. I have tried to indicate whether it is a tasting of a new release, or of a wine I have cellared.

Champalou Vouvray Brut NV: Current release. A pale wine, with a lovely green and grassy nose. Very fresh, delicate green flavours on the palate, with appealing pétillance. Clean, leafy. A good example of this style. 14.5+/20 (May 2004)