Damien Pinon Vouvray Le Brut de Brut NV

This wine carries a certain mineral edge due to its fossil-laden terroir, although it still sings of rich, ripe, boisterous fruits, too. The grapes are picked and vinified by parcel, careful to separate the lots initially in order to preserve and analyze the personalities of each plot prior to the careful blending process. It then undergoes several rounds of batonnage, creating additional texture and mouthfeel through rigorous lees stirring. The choice to forego malolactic fermentation preserves those bright and tingly fruit flavors that make this so fresh and quenchable. The next step in this “Le Brut de Brut” – or “the driest of dry” – is aging in bottle on the lees for 26-plus months before disgorgement, and no added dosage for a dry and so-very-fleshy bubbly that we can’t quit! This is surely a great deal of thought and detail for a $19 bottle, but proprietors Ingrid and Damien Pinon would have it no other way.

The pair run this third-generation, 22-hectare family estate, situated in the commune of Vouvray in the Loire Valley. Damien’s father handed them the reins a little over a decade ago, and the couple has remained loyal to the estate’s sole focus on Chenin Blanc from their vineyards in Vouvray. The soils on their land are classic tuffeau – that is, a sandy and fine-grained micaceous limestone that’s enhanced with seashell fossils, all contributing to the region’s astounding and inimitable minerality in the wines made here.

This bubbly is exuberant in nature, pulsing with scents of green apple, bartlett pear, and accents of chipped limestone. The palate is lofty and round – brimming with bright lemon zest and pomelo notes, plus more orchard fruits, green plums, and quince. The finish is like a filled honeycomb, smooth and waxy, with an added complexity of phenolic bitterness from that signature Vouvray minerality carried throughout. ‘Tis a mouthful of freshness, overflowing with layers that make it a wine that is both commanding and vinous. For under $20, this is an amazing example of delectable sparkling Chenin Blanc – whatever you do, don’t order just one! This is the year-round daily bubbles you’ve been pining after!