2020 Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Moelleux

Founded in Vouvray in 1923, Domaine du Clos Naudin produces some of the most celebrated and remarkably long-lived Chenin Blancs in the Loire Valley. Run today by Vincent Foreau alongside longtime cellar master Hubert Vacher, the estate spans just 11.5 hectares, with three-quarters of its holdings positioned on the prized Première Côte in vineyards like Les Perruches. Long a quiet staple on the wine lists of France's top restaurants, the estate practices minimal-input viticulture, fermenting with natural yeasts in mostly aged 300-liter barrels with roughly 5% new oak. Blocking malolactic fermentation entirely, Foreau crafts dry, demi-sec, sweet, and sparkling cuvées defined by crystalline purity, chalky precision, and extraordinary ageability.

Crafted entirely from late-harvested fruit without botrytis, this sweet cuvée reflects the generosity and purity of the warm 2020 vintage. With 67 grams of residual sugar cut by high natural acidity, it relies on natural grape concentration rather than noble rot, resulting in a weightless, exceptionally clean finish. It is an elegant, balanced sweet wine designed to evolve gracefully over two decades, gradually acquiring deeper complexity in the bottle.