Domaine d’Orfeuilles Vouvray Brut Feuilles d’Or 2014

A few weeks have passed since I sat down in the rather swish tasting room in the grounds of the Syndicat des Vignerons de Vouvray, but the memory of the tasting and the wines I encountered there remains strong.

My report on the wines – around one hundred in total – is currently working its way through the pipeline, coming behind some forthcoming Anjou reports and a deep dive into the current offerings from Chinon, not to mention a 2016 Bordeaux review now the vintage has hit ten years of age. In the meantime, though, a few of the wines I thought most striking are slated to appear here, as future Weekend Wine choices. We start this week with a sparkling wine – an important slice of the Vouvray cake – from a long-established family domaine.

Domaine d’Orfeuilles was established in 1947 – one of the greatest vintages of the 20th century, so quite a date to make your mark – by Paul Herivault. In truth the Herivault family already had history as viticulteurs, Paul’s father having cultivated 2 hectares of vines during the interbellum. Paul built on these familial foundations, establishing a small domaine based in the grounds of a long-lost château, the only evidence for which was some ruined agricultural buildings, although older cadastral maps reveal the presence of a moat.

From this small beginning today’s domaine grew, managed first by Bernard Herivault, and now his son Arnaud Herivault, who took hold of the reins in 2000. Today he tends 23 hectares of vines in the commune of Reugny, which is located on the northern side of the appellation. A major shift in the Herivault philosophy came in 2010 when the domaine was certified organic by Ecocert. From 2015, Arnaud began introducing biodynamic methods across the vineyard, and continued to the point the domaine was certified biodynamic by Demeter in 2020.

The domaine produces a fairly typical range of cuvées in sec, demi-sec and moelleux, and of course there is sparkling too. In this latter category the top cuvée is the Feuilles d’Or, a single-vintage méthode traditionnelle cuvée which is notable for three reasons. First, while yeast is added for the second fermentation, no sugar is added, as the wine is bottled when the first fermentation has reduced the sugar concentration to 20 g/l, so all the fermented sugars came from the grapes. Secondly, at disgorgement it sees no dosage, the resulting total residual sugar being less than 1 g/l (which makes me wonder why it isn’t designated Extra Brut or Brut Nature). Thirdly, and perhaps most significantly, after the second fermentation in bottle the wine was left to rest sur lattes for more than nine years before disgorgement. The combination of an Extra Brut style with lees-aging, as seen with the late-disgorged cuvées from Julien Pinon, can be extremely successful. This cuvée is no exception to this rule.

In the glass the 2014 Vouvray Brut Feuilles d’Or from Domaine d’Orfeuilles clearly shows some development of colour, with a fine concentration to the bright golden hue. Despite its lengthy slumber sur lattes it still shows a plentiful bead, although with an appropriately fine body of tiny bubbles. The aromatics are just adorable, going beyond what you might expect from just-released Vouvray, presenting a core of waxed stone fruits and crushed minerals, with a reductive touch of candle smoke but also all the notes of leesy development with wisps of brioche, almond paste and honeycomb. The palate shows the same effusive and willing character as the nose, bringing these richer tones to the fore in the middle, supported by the energy and firm acidity of the 2014 vintage, wrapped up in a swirl of prickling pétillance. This is an absolutely delicious, pithy, incisive and charged sparkling Vouvray, with a fine length. Drink now and over the next five years. Well done. The alcohol is 13% on the label. 94/100

More Vouvray and Chinon Weekend Wines, mostly from less familiar domaines, are planned in advance of the publication of my detailed tasting reports. This week, however, I start a series of Anjou reports, looking at hundreds of wines from the Anjou and Savennières appellations, mostly dry Chenin Blanc, but also reds, sparkling and sweet wines. (9/11/26)

Read more in:

• My guide to Chenin Blanc
• My report on the Loire 2014 vintage
• A detailed guide to the Vouvray appellation

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