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Philippe Foreau

The digital clock in the car read 10:50am, but I had realised over the last few days - comparing it to the time checks on Saumur's Radio Alouette - that this clock was four minutes fast. That meant it was really 10.46am, too soon for my arrival I thought. I waited in the car, watching the minutes pass by, while I gathered together my notebook, camera and pen. The clock advanced, until it reached 10:55am, which of course really meant 10:51am. Or thereabouts. It would take me just one minute to leave and lock my car, and then walk up to the Foreau residence, so I would be eight minutes early. That seemed reasonable; not too early, but certainly no chance of being accused of being late. The thought that might now occupy your mind is, why such attempted precision? What difference would four or five minutes make?

To answer that question, we must travel back to 2003, and my visit to Huet on the rue de la Croix Buisée. Having finished tasting there, I could not resist calling in at Philippe Foreau's house, which is just a few hundred metres up the road. I knocked on the door of the office, and was admitted by an employee with a classic Blackadder haircut (series 1, of course). Well, it was classic except for the fact it was red. In a peremptory fashion, I was shown a price list, and in quick-fire French informed that I could buy, but there was no time for tasting. Call me choosy, but the offer didn’t sound too tempting, and I left empty-handed.

A year or two later and again I found myself outside number 14, the Foreau property. Once more I thought I would chance my hand, and I enquired at the entrance to the cellars as to the possibility of a visit or tasting. These cellars sit opposite the house, and the grey and dreary exterior is marked by a rusting sign high up on a side wall as the property of Foreau, viticuleur. Again, I was turned away, although this time by a more helpful employee who took the time to explain that with no appointment there would be no chance of a tasting chez Foreau. I put up no resistance, for in truth it was the outcome that I had been expecting, and I was in fact in town to visit Catherine & Didier Champalou, and Bernard Fouquet of Domaine des Aubuisières. I left, and resolved to secure an appointment on my next visit to Vouvray, which as it happens was during the summer of 2008.

I started with a letter, as it seemed a rather professional approach, but it went unanswered. This is perhaps not surprising; every letter I have ever sent to a Loire viticulteur, without exception, has met the same fate. The same is true of email, except for Bernard Fouquet, who does at least seem to know how to use a keyboard. In the case of Foreau, I failed to even find an email address, and so it wasn’t an avenue I would be following here. And so it came down to the telephone. Having already arranged a number of appointments, however, something told me that my French would not quite be up to M Foreau’s standards. A more fluent friend did the work for me, and worked hard to secure an appointment. M Foreau was busy, was going on holiday, and was keen to know whether or not I spoke French. Some persuasion was required, but eventually an appointment, at 11am, was secured.

And so here I was, once more alighting from my car outside the domaine, hopeful of a visit but certain of nothing. I called in at the cellars to enquire as to M Foreau’s whereabouts and was greeted by a friendly employee – the same one I had met on my last abortive visit, I think. He began to explain that there was no chance of a tasting, but I interjected with news of my appointment; immediately his face changed, taking on a look of surprise, and I wondered whether even to have an appointment was really quite unusual. Or was it merely unusual for someone with the appearance of a dumb British tourist? He directed me across the road, and so once again I found myself walking across the gravel driveway towards the office, where I knocked and entered. At this moment it felt as though a battle had been won, and yet I was still uncertain of what was to come. I was glad that I was at least arriving at the correct time.

Philippe Foreau was seated at the desk in the opposite corner, and he gave me some machine-gun French that made me glad I had not made that original phone call. His tone was negative, his posture remained quite closed, as he explained how busy he was. I though I was about to be turned away once more, but then it came; he could give me 30 minutes. Naturally, I gratefully accepted. I explained my profession, about this site, and apologised for the English speaker's accent which no doubt rides roughshod through my French, and I think with this latter point he warmed to me a little. We left the office together and went back across the road to his cellars, which run deep into the hillside, hewn from the limestone rock by the hand of his grandfather, and then his father. It was here, in the dingy light of the barrel cellar, that Philippe Foreau stopped and provided me with an account of his domaine, and his Vouvray philosophy.

Philippe Foreau and the Clos Naudin

Philippe explained that the domaine dates back to at least 1919 when his grandfather Armand returned from the Great War to take over the family vineyards. It was Armand who realised the potential of their vineyards and decided to bottle the wines and market them himself. It was not until 1924 that he acquired the prized Clos Naudin which remains part of the domaine to this day, although it is not the majority. Much of the wine comes from Les Perruches, a lieu-dit which lies behind the house on the rue de la Croix Buisée. Armand retired in the 1960s, handing over a 12 hectare domaine to his son André who ran the estate for the next two decades. Of André's four children there were three sons, of which the youngest, Philippe, born in 1957, joined him in his work in 1980. He assumed full responsibility in 1983, and has been in charge to this very day.

The cellar in which we stood was cut by hand from the rock, started by Armand in the 1920s, with further excavation by André through to the 1970s. The humidity is good, the temperature steady at 12ºC despite the rising heat outside, and the conditions thus perfect for storing wine in barrel and bottle. We walked the corridor between the barrels, turning right halfway up into the bottle store. Here I saw that even at a domaine run with such precision and passion, not all always goes to plan; the electricity supply to this section of the cellar failed us, and I had to peer into the gloom for a minute or two, allowing my pupils to adjust to the low level of light, in order to appreciate the multitude of rows of bottles, stacked deep and high.

Today the domaine remains at 12 hectares and the vines, naturally 100% Chenin Blanc, have an average age of 38 years. There is a mix of terroirs, including flint, limestone and clay. Foreau regards the flinty soils as giving interest and elegance to the wine, whereas the clay and limestone soils bring strength. Using the fruit from these different terroirs brings the texture that Foreau seeks, and the all important balance. Too little clay and the wines are inconsequential and incapable of ageing, but too little flint and the wines lack interest, are too simple. The terroirs must be utilised in combination, the components of the wine in sympathy with one another, in order to produce a Vouvray that satisfies Philippe Foreau.

In the vineyard Foreau avoids the use of all unnecessary chemicals, and works hard with the soil, ploughing - apparently to encourage good acidities in the wines - and pruning hard to keep the yields down to 35 hl/ha. The harvest is entirely by hand in tries, from October into November, and the fruit and stalks undergo a pneumatic pressing together. The fermentation uses only natural yeasts, and the must is neither chaptalised nor acidified, as Foreau wants his wines to display the character of the vintage. There is no malolactic fermentation either, a practice which Foreau views as atypical for Vouvray, producing soft and simple wines without the potential to age. Put simply, Foreau likes acidity in his wines. They see no significant contact with wood, first going into old barrels, then into bottle in April or May the year after the vintage, with minimal use of sulphur – less than his father used - along the way.

The wines of Philippe Foreau

The wines could perhaps be considered the ultimate expression of the Vouvray vineyard. Great care in tending the vines, minimal manipulation, and the restrained use of wood translates into a very pure style, lifted and bright, fine and demanding time in the cellar. The lesser fruit is destined for sparkling wine, not unusual in the Vouvray appellation; although it is the fabulous première trie wines that seem to provoke the most debate and garner the most acolytes, most of what is harvested from the scattered vineyards of Vouvray is destined to be made into sparkling wine. Foreau uses any fruit with a potential alcohol less than 12º for his sparkling Vouvray, which comes in both vintage and non-vintage forms. And the latter, from a great vintage such as 2002, is a fabulous example of the type.

Then comes sec, harvested at 12-13.5º, and demi-sec above 13.5º. If there is to be moelleux the vintage must yield fruit with more than 16º potential alcohol, and recent vintages that have done so include 2003 and 2005. Both of these vintages, together with 2007 and 2002, featured in my tasting on this visit. Foreau described 2007 as a good vintage for sec, classic in style, although a very good April was followed by a miserable summer. In the Loire, however, September might be said to make the vintage, and the weather then was warm and favourable. The wines of the vintage I have tasted so far would seem to bear out Foreau’s thoughts. More importantly, though, is my opinion of the wines themselves, both this vintage and others; I think they are among the greatest examples of Vouvray I have ever tasted. They show finesse, delineation, yet great character and flavour also. At all levels the wines are excellent, and I was particularly impressed with the 2005 demi-sec, although the moelleux cuvées, especially the ethereal réserve bottling, were no less fabulous. I left after taking up rather more than 30 minutes of Philippe Foreau's time, my appreciation of the great Loire vineyards and wines richer for the experience, even though my wallet was certainly somewhat lighter. (19/8/08)

Contact details:
Address: 14, rue de la Croix Buisée, 37210 Vouvray
Telephone: +33 (0) 2 47 52 71 46
Fax: +33 (0) 2 47 52 73 81
GPS: 47.41483, 0.809836

Philippe Foreau - Tasting Notes

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Philippe Foreau Vouvray Sec 2007: This has 3 g/l residual sugar, 13.2% alcohol. Perfumed, quite floral, rounded, seemingly quite soft, and a touch honeyed even. Gentle and quite rounded on the palate, balanced, pretty and appealing. There is some depth here, and there is texture too. This is very good. 17+/20 (July 2008)

Philippe Foreau Vouvray Demi-Sec 2007: This has 17 g/l residual sugar. Again it seems soft and floral on the nose, gentle and appealing. In fact I really like it; there is a little honey and the edge, but the freshness of clementines and oranges. Rounded and yet pure, this has a fine delineation, citrus delicacy, and soft honeyed richness on the palate. Very well done. 17+/20 (July 2008)

Philippe Foreau Vouvray Sec 2005: This wine has a pale and shimmering hue, whilst the nose gives us a gently minerally style with a very rich backdrop of sweet dessert apples with a slightly bruised-stewed feel, tinged with cinnamon, along with notes of rich, sweet pears and grippy pear-skin. The palate is nevertheless fresh and clear, rich with more apple and pear fruit, sweet and plump in character, swirled with cream. There is a fresh cut through the middle of it from the slightly bitter acidity, the substance of the wine dry but rich and fleshy, the character well-structured and generous, giving the wine a great presence on the palate. This wine shows the intense almost top-heavy fruit of a rich vintage, pure but textured, more so than the Huets. And it is very long. Difficult to judge at this stage in its development though - I look forward to tasting this again to see how it turns out. From a Loire 2005 assessment. 16.5-17.5+/20 (January 2011)

Philippe Foreau Vouvray Demi-Sec 2005: This has 20 g/l residual sugar. There is beautiful lift here, ripe minerality, perfumed stone, finesse and more. What a fabulous nose. Pure, fresh, cool, yet ripe and rounded on the palate, with a subtle sweetness gently intertwined with well balanced acidity. And underneath this, complexity. Notes of lemon. Wonderful wine, which will drink well for 10-15 years. 18.5+/20 (July 2008)

Philippe Foreau Vouvray Moelleux 2003: This was painfully youthful, but singing all the same. Aromatically it kicks off with a little matchsticky reduction but this soon blows off, the nose then dominated by a crystalline fruit character that I find hauntingly entrancing. There are elements of quince and herbal tea, but it is the intense minerality that comes to the fore that really grabs my attention. Behind this are notes of ripe stone fruit and also a ripe citric lift to counter the sweetness, but it is the minerals and crystallised fruit that dominate. If you could condense some straw-tinged fruit down to an easily fractured flaky crystal, pepper it with orange zest and then sprinkle it with tinges of acacia and almond, this wine is what you would get. What it promises on the nose it delivers on the palate, leaving no room for disappointment; the style here is bright, minerally, crystalline and although it has a slightly solid feel to the midpalate perhaps in keeping with a warmer vintage, there is also superb freshness and tingling acidity, and given time I think this will come good. In fact, I think it will be truly stunning. A superb wine that is quintessentially Vouvray; there is no other variety, region or indeed domaine which could produce a wine like this. From a Loire 2003 tasting. 18.5/20 (September 2011)

Philippe Foreau Vouvray Moelleux 2003: A very hot vintage, where the vines on the clay performed well, saved by the soil's moisture-retaining properties. This has 70 g/l residual sugar. My first impression is that it has a beautiful and classic nose, with huge character. It has finesse despite its generous nature, richness and elegance too. Well defined, its style almost defies description. Great minerality and texture too. Fantastic wine. 18.5+/20 (July 2008)

Philippe Foreau Vouvray Moelleux Réserve 2003: I opened this with some trepidation, as the 2003 Moelleux Réserve brought to a tasting with Eric LeVine at the Ledbury 18 months ago was strangely disappointing. No such concern was necessary; in the glass it starts off with a beautiful orange-gold hue; it is not as deeply coloured as the 2003 Cuvée Alexandre tasted alongside though. Nevertheless, the aromas are captivating nose, oranges and blossom, mixed with almond paste, honey and sweet pastry. Overall, it is - quite simply - amazing. The palate is just as beautiful as the nose, broadening out here, with a sweet and expansive character, and yet it is also immediately elegant. There is superb freshness, a gentle acidity coming through, not overt or firm in its presence, but it is finely balanced, giving this wine a dramatically harmonious and complete feel on palate, just before all the delightful nutty and orange blossom notes wash in, swamping the senses with exotic complexities such as mango, straw, yellow plum, rôti fruit, minerals and white pepper. This has such depth and complexity! Stunning. From a Loire 2003 tasting. 19/20 (September 2011)

Philippe Foreau Vouvray Moelleux Réserve 2003: No introduction needed here for the Loire-o-philes that frequent this site. A disappointing wine though; although there are some appealing complexities of pear, quince, mango and guava fruit, and a papery note that is typical of young Chenin, there is a more prominent baked-apple-oxidation seam which ruins the nose for me. In fact, tasted blind, I wondered whether it might be the Tokaji. The palate has a good succulent style, with lots of sweetness and a peppery acidity, but again that appley oxidation is omnipresent. Not typical of the domaine, vintage or indeed the individual cuvée. From a mostly Burgundy tasting at The Ledbury. No score. (January 2010)

Philippe Foreau Vouvray Moelleux Réserve 2003: A wine with 150 g/l residual sugar, and 11.5% alcohol. A great colour, very rich, with a complex nose offering an array of heady aromas. There are oranges, marmalade, blood oranges, mangoes, plums, passion fruits and more, and surely an element of botrytis. And yet it seems to have great purity, and on the palate a fine balance to it, despite its great opulence. There is even a touch of caramel and rôti character. This is brilliant, and will surely approach immortality....well three or four decades, at least. 19+/20 (July 2008)

Philippe Foreau Vouvray Brut Réserve 2002: A very polished, solid gold hue here, with initially a very exuberant and swirling bead in the glass although this settles down to form a stream of tiny bubbles. The nose offers classic Chenin fruit with a minerally seam, all golden and crunchy with tinges of volcanic rock and smoke. The palate is similarly expressive, the texture of the wine building into the midpalate where it shows intense citrus and peach tones, mixed with a creamy mousse and bright acidity. Very finely drawn but undeniable frame, showing great freshness and shape in the finish. The wine is full of grip and vigour despite its softer character underneath it all. And in the end, it shows a bitter pithiness that really appeals and calls to mind other great styles of Chenin, whether still, sparkling or sweet. Wonderful fizz with continued potential for the cellar. From a tasting of Loire Valley Fizz. 18/20 (August 2011)

Philippe Foreau Vouvray Brut Réserve 2002: Another bottle drank while I wrote up these notes. A somewhat richer colour than I recall, with a sparse bead. Lovely nose, with notes of brioche, with lemony freshness too. Smoky and a little stony too. This carries through on the palate, firm and stony, fresh and defined, but with some welcome warmth in the background. It is just a touch austere, a characteristic which I enjoy very much; this will do brilliantly in the cellar, although I love it now. 18+/20 (August 2008)

Philippe Foreau Vouvray Brut Réserve 2002: Great appeal here, although not immediate; it takes a few minutes to open out. Starting off stony and dry it reveals with time aromas of petals and white pepper, then richer notes of frangipane and brioche. There is massive acidity here, wonderful mousse, and lots of extract, texture and substance. This has a very serious style, but remains very true to the appellation. I think this will go for ten years and many more; Philippe Foreau reckons eight. 18+/20 (July 2008)

Philippe Foreau Vouvray Moelleux 1995: This wine has a brilliant golden hue in the glass, shimmering and bright - and the wine itself, in terns of aroma and flavour, is no less impressive than its appearance. On the nose it has a paradoxical intertwining of ethereal perfume and richness, the fruit pure and crystalline, sheer essence of Vouvray but with power alongside the minerality. Fine, a little gingery, with a floral trace and notes of honey and lemon zest, and most importantly a beautiful definition to it. The palate has an ecstatic character, essence of dry and grippy peach-skin and sugar crystals swirled with cream. Bold and yet tightly defined, rich and straight and yet also at its core caressing. Long, pure and stylish. This is drinking superbly just now, although I suspect there is absolutely no rush with this one. An incredibly thrilling wine, heart-stopping, so pure and lifted. And to think this is only the straight moelleux, not the reserve bottling. Wow. From my 1995 vintage Fifteen Years On tasting. 18.5/20 (December 2010)

Philippe Foreau Vouvray Sec 1991: A very discoloured cork at the top half-centimetre, black with age, but clean beneath, as is the wine. Not decanted, simply poured from the bottle, this aged dry Vouvray has a rich golden hue in the glass, and a nose that starts out with a quite linear feel, suggestive of stony minerals, before slowly relaxing and evolving in the glass. It shows with time warmer and softer aromas, rather funky notes of wool alongside straighter elements, of nuts, especially almonds, with a sweet pastry-marzipan feel to them. Later pure notes of white fruit and desiccated pineapple, with a touch of ginger. Quite a full, polished feel at the very start, fleshy but well defined, bright and solidly framed rather than anything more delicate, and maintaining a good sense of proportion through the middle. It displays a welcome vein of acidity here, strong and citrusy and very punchy, perhaps a little bitter towards the finish, although only mildly so. And it keeps the finish of the wine, which has a really good length, nicely defined. Overall I find this has certain appeal, conveyed principally by its vigour, definition, dramatic composition and length, less so the aromatic and flavour profile which doesn't stray too far from its nutty opener. Good though. From a 1991 vintage twenty years on tasting. 16/20 (July 2011)

Philippe Foreau Vouvray Brut NV: I've had numerous bottles of this now, each one slightly more expressive and seductive than the last. This is no exception; the colour pale gold, the bead effervescent, but most importantly of all the nose is brilliantly aromatic, stuffed with very minerally, smoky elements laid over ripe, gamey, golden fruits. On the palate it is fleshy and polished, yet framed by a firm edge of acidity, and just packed with crushed rock, smoky acidity, even a little ash, although this is subtle and it sits well within the context of the wine. A nicely gentle mousse, with golden fruits spiked with orange zest and all polished off with a lightly creamy texture. Delicious, not long, but absolutely fabulous on the palate. From a tasting of Loire Valley Fizz. 17.5/20 (August 2011)

Philippe Foreau Vouvray Brut NV: Remarkably it was a real struggle getting the cork out, not usually a problem with any sparkling wine raising fears of a flat wine beneath, but as it turned out here was no underlying problem, the closure eventually yielding, revealing a good pressure behind it. In the glass the wine has a straw-gold hue, with a light bead. The nose has a wealth of stone and citrus fruits, with great minerality, giving an imposing, very characterful style. The palate is just lovely, showing a foamy mousse at first, although this soon settles down, the wine developing a honed, well-framed, vinous sensation as it does so. There is fine, stony-bright fruit, a lovely full texture, with a little touch of cream to the weight. This sensation comes through in the flavour too, which is reminiscent of apples swirled with cream. Overall, a wine with great presence, very fine, culminating in a sappy, acid-rich finish. So good, in fact, that I proceeded a few days later to open another, which was just as good as the first. The rest I will try to cellar for a few years at least, as I suspect they will only get better. For label images and more see my Wine of the Week write-up. 17.5+/20 (August 2010)