I’ve been looking forward to this tasting since I first proposed a Foreau dinner over four years ago. Finally, this past Saturday, May 14th, at the home of Don and Melissa Rice which, not so coincidentally, was the site of the original Huet-a-thon back in ’00, the stars were in the right alignment and ten Vouvray lovers gathered for our first ever Foreau-a-thon!
Founded in 1923 by Armand Foreau, Philippe Foreau's (the current proprietor) grandfather, the domaine is five years older than Huet, though with about 12 hectares, is just shy of having 1/3 the amount of land that Huet does. Consequently, there’s just a lot less Foreau out in the market and tracking down older bottles, which is relatively easy with Huet, is pretty darn hard with Foreau. That being the case, we made things a little easier by making the theme 1989-2009, as many of us have been collecting wines since these vintages came out and they’re generally what’s available in the marketplace. I happened to spy a ’76 Moelleux Réserve recently at auction, so I bought it just to have something a little older and I hadn’t had that one before.
It was a great tasting and really gave those present a clear sense of the domaine’s style. Generally speaking, the wines of Foreau tend to lean a little austere in comparison to those of Huet with a little less upfront fruit and a little more apparent structure. On release they tend to be a little tougher and shut down quicker. That said, there can be no doubting the quality of the vineyard or the winemaking and it is rightfully considered tops in the AOC with Huet.
Sparkling Flight.
2002 Foreau- Vouvray Brut Réserve
Fresh, crisp and a touch austere with biscuit, pear, quince and mineral flavors and aromas. There's nice depth and complexity here and the wine shows a fine bead. Picks up some bitter almond and citrus pith on the finish. B+/A-.
Foreau- Vouvray Vouvray Brut "Cuvee 2004-2005"
Corked. NR.
Sec Flight.
1996 Foreau- Vouvray Sec
Shows beautiful aromas of stone fruits, loads of bee's wax and bergamot. On the palate it's a vivid and formidable bone dry wine with a mountain of acid. Intensely mineral with lightly spiced apples, apricots and honey, it's a bit tough on entry but really explodes across the mid-palate through a long finish. There's just enough ripeness to the fruit to help balance out the big time structure. Not for the faint of heart. A-.
1997 Foreau- Vouvray Sec
In comparison to the '96, this was a much friendlier, loosey goosey wine once it saw some air. It took a little while to get going aromatically before showing some quince with white and yellow flowers. On the palate, too, it was diffident at first blush and hid behind a screen of matchsticks before revealing a plump yellow fruit and chalk profile. Lower acid than the '96 and more ready to go. Low A-.
1999 Foreau- Vouvray Sec
Shows the vintage's grey rot problem in spades, with sulfur, to boot. Really brought home the smell of caps from my youth as well as swim team when it showed a chlorine note. Just not pleasant. C-.
2006 Foreau- Vouvray Sec
This was showing young and grapey. Just a lot of primary fun right now with puppy friendly yellow fruit, honeysuckle and mineral that tends to obscure the structure underneath, making the wine seem softer than it is. Good stuff. B+/A-.
2007 Foreau- Vouvray Sec
The most closed wine of the flight, both aromatically and on the palate. This one is all about structure right now. It's dense with a lot of mineral, but one gets a sense that there's a bunch of yellow fruit buried in there somewhere. Decant like hell, or just leave them in your cellar for awhile. B+/B now with room for improvement.
Demi-Sec Flight.
1995 Foreau- Vouvray Demi-Sec
This wine was a bit controversial. Eden swore the wine was corked, though the rest of us initially thought it was just exhibiting a lot of Chenin wooliness. Indeed, with air it did dissipate. However, while the wine showed nicely and did get better with air, I don't think anyone was convinced this was an intact bottle. It just seemed there was something slightly off about it, though it was not corked. When I decanted it before heading to the tasting I was a bit worried as it was showing a strong oxidative character and was really disjointed with the alcohol sticking out a bit. By the time we tried it at the tasting, about four hours later, while it still exhibited a light oxidative note, the wine was much better integrated. Certainly wooly, with typical quince, apricot and mineral notes, with baked spiced apples in the background. Nicely balanced, though the sugar shows a slight caramelized note to it. By the end of the night I was ready to give it an A-/B+, but I want to try another bottle from a different source before I really judge it. NR.
1996 Foreau- Vouvray Demi-Sec
This was a mouthful! Extremely intense and delineated and the most orange in profile of the flight. This is all about apricot, bergamot and orange creamsicles with razor wire structure. It's a big wine and shows more sugar than the '95, but it's well contained. It picks up a nice gingery note on the finish. Really nice wine. You just don't find '96 demi-secs on the market that often from Foreau, or from Huet, for that matter and the reason has to be folks know how good they are and have either drank them, or are holding on to them. A/A-.
1997 Foreau- Vouvray Demi-Sec
Shows the vintage's ripeness and botrytis character, but also shows more acidity than I think many would've expected from '97. Personally, I've always felt that Vouvray weathered the heat better than most other appellations in the Loire. Forward and ripe on the palate with a very yellow profile. Lots of quince, yellow flowers and chalk. Lowish acidity in comparison to the others in the flight, but it gets the job done. As with many wines tonight, it picks up a nice gingery note on the finish. Low A-.
2005 Foreau- Vouvray Demi-Sec
Seems a little like a blend of the '97 and '96. It's opulent and plush across the palate, though seems to just be starting to shed its baby fat. Still has some primary sweetness, though the wine is nicely balanced. Yellow and stone fruits with a nice mineral streak. A-.
2008 Foreau- Vouvray Demi-Sec
Showing as brilliantly as it did last month. This is a special wine that's so alive and invigorating. Vivacious structure with wonderful purity and focus to the fruit. Lots of quince, kumquat and citrus flavors with a keen mineral streak. The ginger note is also here and it's really become apparent that it's a unique character to Foreau's wines as you just don't see it as prevalently in Huet's wines, just down the block. Wonderful stuff. A/A-.
Moelleux Flight.
1996 Foreau- Vouvray Moelleux
Shows a little bit of sulfur from the get go that eventually subsides. It has the '96 brightness and structure with a strong mineral character. No Réserve made this year as there was little botrytis. Plenty sweet, but there's that wonderful acid backbone. Typical apricot and earl grey tea flavors and aromas. Still quite young. In fact, the '96 Sec and Demi-Sec are showing a bit more personality than this one. That said, it's lovely. A-.
1999 Foreau- Vouvray Moelleux
Like the '99 Sec, this is showing the faults of the mediocre vintage. There's an intense, almost overwhelming saffron note to the wine with quince and ginger. Unfortunately, it also shows a bunch of rot, is a bit disjointed and just doesn't have enough stuffing to stand up to the structure. B.
2003 Foreau- Vouvray Moelleux
Never been a huge fan of this wine due to the torrid conditions of 2003, but while still pretty fat, the wine is showing marginally more acidity than it did on release. Loads of ripe orange citrus, apricot and tropical fruit. Certainly pleasant enough and it'll scratch a sweetie craving nicely, but there's no getting around the fact that the wine could use more cut. Low A-.
2008 Foreau- Vouvray Moelleux
Like the '08 Demi-Sec, this is a special wine. I can't say it enough. Foreau's '08's show an amazing life force to them. Just riveting structure and such precise flavors. The wine is taut, focused and expansive and shows sweet quince and exotic tropical fruit flavors with the usual mineral vein. Like '96, no Réserve was made due to it being a low botrytis vintage. The wine is plenty sweet, though, but perfectly balanced. Just gorgeous. A.
Moelleux Réserve Flight.
1976 Foreau- Vouvray Moelleux Réserve
I was thrilled to see this at auction on winebid last week and managed to win it and get it here two days before the vertical. Despite being shipped across the country, the wine showed nicely. It certainly has that austerity that the '76's exhibit, and was rather severe when first poured, but it really came together with extended airing. It shows very similarly to a Moelleux bottling that Don opened almost a year and a half ago, with its marzipan, apricot, earl grey tea and shoe polish character, but the sugar level is higher and really helps round the wine out. By the end of the evening the wine was picking up a nice spiced persimmon note and had developed more flesh around its bones. Lovely. Solid A-.
1989 Foreau- Vouvray Moelleux Réserve
Damn! Damn! Damn! Corked! A real shame, as this undoubtedly would've vied for wine of the night honors as this is a stellar wine when on. NR.
1990 Foreau- Vouvray Moelleux Réserve
A terrific showing for this wine. It's a deep amber color with reddish tinges and has been showing this way for at least ten years now. It exhibits almost a Tokaji Essencia profile with it's intensely sweet, raisiny, apricot and botrytis filled character, but it's surprisingly intense acidity (for a '90), bergamot and mineral notes bring it back into the Vouvray fold. Absolutely charming and dynamic with an endless finish that picks up a marmalade note. Given the ripeness and sweetness, the wine shows surprising freshness. There was a discussion as to whether this wine will drink any better than it is right now. Maybe not, but it should drink really well for decades. My WOTN. Low A+.
2003 Foreau- Vouvray Moelleux Réserve
Ultra rich and intensely sweet, for all intents and purposes it's apricot and tropical fruit compote. There's just enough acidity here to keep the wine from being cloying, but it could really use more. Enjoyable, but very indicative of the vintage and even though I have a really big sweet tooth, there's only so much of this I can drink. A-.
Some pictures from the evening.
The full monty.
A nice spread.
Sec flight.
Demi-Sec flight.
Moelleux flight.
Moelleux Réserve flight.
Don Rice, host with the most, shows off his original Space Probe game.
Rahsaan, Cliff and Don sitting pretty, showing the proper way to enjoy a Foreau-a-thon.
Don shows Jeff an article about Foreau buying the Clos Naudin property from a January 1924 Touraine viticulture periodical.
A closer look.
Jay opens some bottles.
Eden gives me the "really?" look.
Cool Loire artifacts.
The Loire on 45!
The 1990 Réservein the glass.
Jeff also gives me the "really?" look.
Founded in 1923 by Armand Foreau, Philippe Foreau's (the current proprietor) grandfather, the domaine is five years older than Huet, though with about 12 hectares, is just shy of having 1/3 the amount of land that Huet does. Consequently, there’s just a lot less Foreau out in the market and tracking down older bottles, which is relatively easy with Huet, is pretty darn hard with Foreau. That being the case, we made things a little easier by making the theme 1989-2009, as many of us have been collecting wines since these vintages came out and they’re generally what’s available in the marketplace. I happened to spy a ’76 Moelleux Réserve recently at auction, so I bought it just to have something a little older and I hadn’t had that one before.
It was a great tasting and really gave those present a clear sense of the domaine’s style. Generally speaking, the wines of Foreau tend to lean a little austere in comparison to those of Huet with a little less upfront fruit and a little more apparent structure. On release they tend to be a little tougher and shut down quicker. That said, there can be no doubting the quality of the vineyard or the winemaking and it is rightfully considered tops in the AOC with Huet.
Sparkling Flight.
2002 Foreau- Vouvray Brut Réserve
Fresh, crisp and a touch austere with biscuit, pear, quince and mineral flavors and aromas. There's nice depth and complexity here and the wine shows a fine bead. Picks up some bitter almond and citrus pith on the finish. B+/A-.
Foreau- Vouvray Vouvray Brut "Cuvee 2004-2005"
Corked. NR.
Sec Flight.
1996 Foreau- Vouvray Sec
Shows beautiful aromas of stone fruits, loads of bee's wax and bergamot. On the palate it's a vivid and formidable bone dry wine with a mountain of acid. Intensely mineral with lightly spiced apples, apricots and honey, it's a bit tough on entry but really explodes across the mid-palate through a long finish. There's just enough ripeness to the fruit to help balance out the big time structure. Not for the faint of heart. A-.
1997 Foreau- Vouvray Sec
In comparison to the '96, this was a much friendlier, loosey goosey wine once it saw some air. It took a little while to get going aromatically before showing some quince with white and yellow flowers. On the palate, too, it was diffident at first blush and hid behind a screen of matchsticks before revealing a plump yellow fruit and chalk profile. Lower acid than the '96 and more ready to go. Low A-.
1999 Foreau- Vouvray Sec
Shows the vintage's grey rot problem in spades, with sulfur, to boot. Really brought home the smell of caps from my youth as well as swim team when it showed a chlorine note. Just not pleasant. C-.
2006 Foreau- Vouvray Sec
This was showing young and grapey. Just a lot of primary fun right now with puppy friendly yellow fruit, honeysuckle and mineral that tends to obscure the structure underneath, making the wine seem softer than it is. Good stuff. B+/A-.
2007 Foreau- Vouvray Sec
The most closed wine of the flight, both aromatically and on the palate. This one is all about structure right now. It's dense with a lot of mineral, but one gets a sense that there's a bunch of yellow fruit buried in there somewhere. Decant like hell, or just leave them in your cellar for awhile. B+/B now with room for improvement.
Demi-Sec Flight.
1995 Foreau- Vouvray Demi-Sec
This wine was a bit controversial. Eden swore the wine was corked, though the rest of us initially thought it was just exhibiting a lot of Chenin wooliness. Indeed, with air it did dissipate. However, while the wine showed nicely and did get better with air, I don't think anyone was convinced this was an intact bottle. It just seemed there was something slightly off about it, though it was not corked. When I decanted it before heading to the tasting I was a bit worried as it was showing a strong oxidative character and was really disjointed with the alcohol sticking out a bit. By the time we tried it at the tasting, about four hours later, while it still exhibited a light oxidative note, the wine was much better integrated. Certainly wooly, with typical quince, apricot and mineral notes, with baked spiced apples in the background. Nicely balanced, though the sugar shows a slight caramelized note to it. By the end of the night I was ready to give it an A-/B+, but I want to try another bottle from a different source before I really judge it. NR.
1996 Foreau- Vouvray Demi-Sec
This was a mouthful! Extremely intense and delineated and the most orange in profile of the flight. This is all about apricot, bergamot and orange creamsicles with razor wire structure. It's a big wine and shows more sugar than the '95, but it's well contained. It picks up a nice gingery note on the finish. Really nice wine. You just don't find '96 demi-secs on the market that often from Foreau, or from Huet, for that matter and the reason has to be folks know how good they are and have either drank them, or are holding on to them. A/A-.
1997 Foreau- Vouvray Demi-Sec
Shows the vintage's ripeness and botrytis character, but also shows more acidity than I think many would've expected from '97. Personally, I've always felt that Vouvray weathered the heat better than most other appellations in the Loire. Forward and ripe on the palate with a very yellow profile. Lots of quince, yellow flowers and chalk. Lowish acidity in comparison to the others in the flight, but it gets the job done. As with many wines tonight, it picks up a nice gingery note on the finish. Low A-.
2005 Foreau- Vouvray Demi-Sec
Seems a little like a blend of the '97 and '96. It's opulent and plush across the palate, though seems to just be starting to shed its baby fat. Still has some primary sweetness, though the wine is nicely balanced. Yellow and stone fruits with a nice mineral streak. A-.
2008 Foreau- Vouvray Demi-Sec
Showing as brilliantly as it did last month. This is a special wine that's so alive and invigorating. Vivacious structure with wonderful purity and focus to the fruit. Lots of quince, kumquat and citrus flavors with a keen mineral streak. The ginger note is also here and it's really become apparent that it's a unique character to Foreau's wines as you just don't see it as prevalently in Huet's wines, just down the block. Wonderful stuff. A/A-.
Moelleux Flight.
1996 Foreau- Vouvray Moelleux
Shows a little bit of sulfur from the get go that eventually subsides. It has the '96 brightness and structure with a strong mineral character. No Réserve made this year as there was little botrytis. Plenty sweet, but there's that wonderful acid backbone. Typical apricot and earl grey tea flavors and aromas. Still quite young. In fact, the '96 Sec and Demi-Sec are showing a bit more personality than this one. That said, it's lovely. A-.
1999 Foreau- Vouvray Moelleux
Like the '99 Sec, this is showing the faults of the mediocre vintage. There's an intense, almost overwhelming saffron note to the wine with quince and ginger. Unfortunately, it also shows a bunch of rot, is a bit disjointed and just doesn't have enough stuffing to stand up to the structure. B.
2003 Foreau- Vouvray Moelleux
Never been a huge fan of this wine due to the torrid conditions of 2003, but while still pretty fat, the wine is showing marginally more acidity than it did on release. Loads of ripe orange citrus, apricot and tropical fruit. Certainly pleasant enough and it'll scratch a sweetie craving nicely, but there's no getting around the fact that the wine could use more cut. Low A-.
2008 Foreau- Vouvray Moelleux
Like the '08 Demi-Sec, this is a special wine. I can't say it enough. Foreau's '08's show an amazing life force to them. Just riveting structure and such precise flavors. The wine is taut, focused and expansive and shows sweet quince and exotic tropical fruit flavors with the usual mineral vein. Like '96, no Réserve was made due to it being a low botrytis vintage. The wine is plenty sweet, though, but perfectly balanced. Just gorgeous. A.
Moelleux Réserve Flight.
1976 Foreau- Vouvray Moelleux Réserve
I was thrilled to see this at auction on winebid last week and managed to win it and get it here two days before the vertical. Despite being shipped across the country, the wine showed nicely. It certainly has that austerity that the '76's exhibit, and was rather severe when first poured, but it really came together with extended airing. It shows very similarly to a Moelleux bottling that Don opened almost a year and a half ago, with its marzipan, apricot, earl grey tea and shoe polish character, but the sugar level is higher and really helps round the wine out. By the end of the evening the wine was picking up a nice spiced persimmon note and had developed more flesh around its bones. Lovely. Solid A-.
1989 Foreau- Vouvray Moelleux Réserve
Damn! Damn! Damn! Corked! A real shame, as this undoubtedly would've vied for wine of the night honors as this is a stellar wine when on. NR.
1990 Foreau- Vouvray Moelleux Réserve
A terrific showing for this wine. It's a deep amber color with reddish tinges and has been showing this way for at least ten years now. It exhibits almost a Tokaji Essencia profile with it's intensely sweet, raisiny, apricot and botrytis filled character, but it's surprisingly intense acidity (for a '90), bergamot and mineral notes bring it back into the Vouvray fold. Absolutely charming and dynamic with an endless finish that picks up a marmalade note. Given the ripeness and sweetness, the wine shows surprising freshness. There was a discussion as to whether this wine will drink any better than it is right now. Maybe not, but it should drink really well for decades. My WOTN. Low A+.
2003 Foreau- Vouvray Moelleux Réserve
Ultra rich and intensely sweet, for all intents and purposes it's apricot and tropical fruit compote. There's just enough acidity here to keep the wine from being cloying, but it could really use more. Enjoyable, but very indicative of the vintage and even though I have a really big sweet tooth, there's only so much of this I can drink. A-.
Some pictures from the evening.
The full monty.