The Wines of Damien Pinon, 2024
At the heart of the appellation of Vouvray there are two communes, that of Vouvray itself, and its neighbour (just upstream), Vernou-sur-Brenne. While there are other eligible communes which – like these two – sit on the edge of the plateau and can thus claim première côte status, these other communes – Rochecorbon and Noizay – do not produce the level of quality which can challenge that found in Vouvray and Vernou.
While the majority of the appellation’s most famous vineyards and long-established domaines are located in the commune of Vouvray, over the past few decades Vernou has undoubtedly been on the up. Arguably this is down to the presence of one man, Vincent Carême, who through several decades of hard graft has pushed his domaine to the forefront of the appellation. He is far from alone though, and during the course of the past year or two I have been exploring this commune, meeting and tasting with some of its resident vignerons, from newcomers on their first or second vintage to those running old family domaines established decades ago by their grandfather.
One name that has stood out is Damien Pinon.
