Along with Domaine Huet, Philippe Foreau’s Domaine du Clos Naudin would surely be considered a First Growth in Vouvray, if a Bordeaux-style classification were made for the appellation. Little has changed at this great estate since Philippe’s grandfather purchased it one hundred years ago. The two great vineyards, “Les Perruches” and Les Ruettes,” are farmed organically, yields are kept low, fermentations are all spontaneous and take place in very old 300L oak barrels. The degree of sweetness in a given cuvée is determined by the vintage rather than by commercial concerns. All the manual work and adherence to tradition revolves around a single focus— to fully express the flinty limestone and tuffeau-chalk terroir.
