Philippe Brisebarre Vouvray Sec

Vigneron Philippe Brisebarre started working with his father at the age of 16. The cellar is above the town of Vouvray and all but 7 of the domaine's 25 hectares lie just adjacent. His cellar, like many others in the region, is a stone cave cut straight into a cliff of tuffeau, the soft yellow sandstone famous in the Loire Valley. The cave dates back to the 1500s, when it was originally a quarry then becoming a storage facility for ice, before the days of electricity.  storing ice for refrigeration More recently it has been  the cellar for the Brisebarre family domaine for several generations, from which he offers a wonderful array of older vintages in immaculate condition.

The distinctive local yellow tuffeau limestone and moderate climate provides the perfect environment for growing Chenin Blanc. Philippe works on a lutte raisonée basis in the vineyards, making treatments only when absolutely necessary. He prefers to harvest by machine, as this gives him the opportunity to pick his grapes rapidly at the optimum moment of ripeness without any loss of quality.

The grapes are gently pressed in a pneumatically and the must settled few hours before an intitial filtration to allow an efficient fermentation in stainless steel tanks to retain freshness.

Grape: 100% Chenin

Tasting Note: A floral white with notes of braeburn apple and a round texture with hints of almond and fennel. With a gentle, succulent mouthfeel and a dry finish, this is a versatile white of universal appeal.

Food Match: Ideal as an aperitif, with an asparagus salad or poached white fish.

Farming Practices: Vegan - Contains Sulfites

Closure: Natural Cork

Vintage: 2016