Vouvray: The Vineyards
I have very fond memories of many tastings in the cellars of Vouvray and, among them, I remember with emotion the last one offered to me by Charles Vavasseur in January 1948, two years before he died after having served Touraine all his life. Many barrels of the marvellous 1947 wine were tasted with reverence: wines from Gués d’Amant, l’Auberdière and Clos du Bourg.
– Les Vins de Loire, Pierre Bréjoux, published 1956
Eager to provide some evidence that the opening statement I made in my guide to Vouvray was true I offer above yet another quote (one of many from which I could have chosen) which references the wines of the Vouvray appellation.
Admittedly, we have now moved away from the more literary reverence offered by the likes of Honoré Balzac and the ice-cold wines of Ian Fleming, to words which represent a detailed knowledge of the town’s vineyards and wines. The author, one Pierre Bréjoux, was Inspector General of the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine, and it seems he had a deep-seated love for this particular corner of the Loire Valley. Well, his frequent visits to the town and region would suggest so, but then if the locals are going to seduce you with their 1947 vintage every time you turn up (this never happens to me, by the way) then we can hardly blame him for making the journey.
The words of Pierre Bréjoux highlight another feature of Vouvray; as with many other Loire appellations, just as is the case with the multifaceted terroir of Sancerre, the slopes of the Côte d’Or or the many hillsides of Alsace (or indeed any other appellation or wine region you care to mention), some sites are recognised as being better than others. There is one reason above all others that Bréjoux mentions the vineyards, or lieux-dits if you prefer, of Gués d’Amant, l’Auberdière and Clos du Bourg; quite simply, he knows these names will entice his readers. And yet, who among us today would recognise all three of these vineyards?
I suspect the majority of readers know the last of the trio, the Clos du Bourg, the jewel in the appellation’s crown. Once the possession of the aforementioned Charles Vavasseur, today this vineyard is the property of the Hwang family, at Domaine Huet. And I suspect a good number of readers could even have a stab at pinpointing its location on a map of the appellation (hint; its not far from the cellars, on the première côte, next to the town’s cemetery). But what of Gués d’Amant? I know the name, and could roughly identify its position or at least the vague region, firstly because I have been following the wines of Château Gaudrelle for some time, the now-retired Alexandre Monmousseau having tended vines in this lieu-dit for many years, and secondly because I have in recent years spent a long time poring over maps of the region. Tracking down l’Auberdière, however, not to mention a number of other vineyards, is rather more difficult.
