Clos Naudin : Moelleux Réserve 2022

Characteristics and tasting notes for the Clos Naudin "Réserve" Moelleux 2022

Tasting

Colour
The colour reveals an intense, crystalline golden yellow hue.

Nose
The aromatic bouquet reveals notes of poached pear, yellow plum jam and passion fruit coulis, combined with hints of roasted mango and red fruits. Floral nuances of orange blossom and honeysuckle, along with touches of sweet spice, chalky minerality and citrus, complete this olfactory profile.

Palate
The palate offers beautiful sweet concentration, perfectly balanced by a ripe, mouth-watering acidity. The elegant texture stretches into a vibrant finish with candied lemon accents, leaving a long-lasting impression of vanilla, saffron and minerality.

Food and wine pairing

This wine pairs wonderfully with flavourful dishes such as duck à l'orange, veal tajine with almonds or blue cheeses like Roquefort. It also goes beautifully with exotic fruit desserts or a mirabelle plum tart.

Service and storage

To fully enjoy the Moelleux "Réserve" 2022, it is recommended to serve it at a temperature of 9 to 10 degrees Celsius, after allowing it to breathe in the bottle for one to three hours. This wine can be cellared and enjoyed until around 2060.

Other characteristics

This sweet white wine from France has a residual sugar content of between 130 and 148 grams per litre.

The elegance of a Vouvray wine crafted by Clos Naudin

The estate

Founded in 1910 by Armand Foreau, the Clos Naudin estate is a historic figure in the Loire valley. Located in the Vouvray appellation, this family-run property dug its own troglodyte cellars for aging its wines. Today, Philippe Foreau, representing the third generation, runs the estate with the help of his son Vincent. Together, they continue a terroir-respectful craftsmanship, producing wines renowned for their purity and minerality, while guiding the vineyard towards organic certification.

The vineyard

The roughly 12-hectare vineyard is planted on the northern bank of the river, in the heart of the Vouvray appellation. The vines, mainly south and southwest facing, thrive on clay-siliceous soils resting on a limestone crust, particularly in the Les Perruches and Les Ruettes plots. The presence of flint and tuffeau brings a characteristic mineral tension. The estate favours soil tilling and the use of organic fertilisers, with organic farming certification validated for this vintage.

The vintage

2022 stands out for its dry, sunny climate. The summer season extended longer than usual, offering mild weather conditions that allowed for several successive passes through the vines until mid-October. This extended period favoured optimal botrytis development and the natural raisining of the berries.

Winemaking and aging

The grapes for the Moelleux "Réserve" 2022 are hand-harvested through successive selective picking passes to select the botrytised and raisined berries. In the cellar, the philosophy is minimally interventionist: fermentations proceed slowly thanks to indigenous yeasts, without chaptalisation or malolactic fermentation, in order to preserve natural acidity. The wine is aged for six months in 300-litre oak barrels, with only 5% new wood, before resting for two to three months in the tuffeau galleries. Bottling takes place before summer.

Grape variety

100% Chenin Blanc.