Indulgent 40-Year Keeper

Vignoble Brisebarre Vouvray “Moelleux” 2018. Producer: Vignoble Brisebarre Appellation: Vouvray AOC, Loire Valley, France Vintage: 2018 Variety: 100% Chenin Blanc Wine Style: “Moelleux” – sweet white ABV: 12.5% Residual Sugar: 60 g/L Average Vine Age: 50 years Cellaring Potential: Up to 40 years. Drink now to 2058. Viticulture & Harvest Produced from old-vine Chenin Blanc grown on Vouvray’s clay-limestone slopes above the Loire. The fruit is harvested at advanced maturity, with concentration enhanced by noble rot (Botrytis), giving the wine its natural richness while retaining the acidity that makes great Vouvray so long-lived. Vinification & Maturation The grapes are gently pressed on arrival at the domaine, followed by clarification and slow fermentation in tank. The wine is matured on fine lees in tank for 10 months, building texture and complexity without masking the character of the Chenin Blanc. Bottled at the property under traditional natural cork, it is subsequently conserved in Brisebarre’s underground chalk cellars, where naturally stable conditions are ideal for ageing. Tasting Note There is an immediate sense of richness here, but this is Vouvray, so freshness is never far behind. Acacia honey leads the nose, with ripe peach and orchard fruit emerging as the wine opens. The palate is generous and concentrated, its 60 grams of residual sugar giving real weight and lusciousness, yet the natural acidity of Chenin Blanc keeps everything taut, focused and remarkably energetic. That balance is what makes this wine so compelling. It is sweet without becoming heavy, powerful without losing precision, and there is a lovely tension between ripe fruit, honeyed richness and the cool freshness of the finish. Botrytis adds another layer of concentration and gives the wine the structure to evolve beautifully in bottle. Serve around 10°C with foie gras, blue cheese, or apple and pear tarts. It is equally convincing on its own at the end of a meal. Delicious now, but this is built for the cellar: expect increasing complexity over the coming decades, with a potential drinking horizon extending towards 2058. Post arrival price will be $60.95 Today’s pre-departure price is $39.95 per bottle. This wine is part of the shipment scheduled to arrive in December 2026/January 2027. Dispatch to you will be organised as soon as it has cleared Australian customs.