Philippe Foreau (Domaine du Clos Naudin)

Philippe assumed the direction of the domaine in 1983 upon the retirement of his father, Andre. Since 2015, Philippe works alongside his son Vincent, who continues the family's tradition of crafting some of the greatest white wines anywhere. The domaine consists of 11 1/2 hectares planted to Chenin Blanc, located in the northeast corner of Vouvray, sited mid-hill with 100% south/southeast/southwest exposures. The principal vineyards are known as "Les Perruches" and "Les Ruettes". The estate's cellar was dug by hand out of the zone's classic tuffeau limestone during Philippe's grandfather's time. Its raw walls, lit sparingly by the occasional hanging bulb, speak viscerally of the local terroir. Barriques blackened and weathered by time-the Foreaus use them for 20 or 30 years-flank the cave's tunnels, and one marvels that such pure wines are birthed in such humble vessels. The entire operation, in fact, is a powerful reminder that technology is not required to make great wine.

Because the Foreaus have always made their wines in the same low-key way-natural fermentation and aging in the aforementioned ancient barriques, blocked malolactic fermentation, never any chaptalization-there is a clear thread connecting current vintages to past versions. Philippe Foreau's wines age remarkably well. Each wine exhibits an extraordinary panoply of flavors and aromas of fruit, floral and earth elements. Because we believe so strongly in these wines, we make a considerable investment in our stocks so that we maintain a series of older vintages for our clients' pleasure.