Domaine Champalou – 2021 Vouvray Le Portail

Domaine Champalou – 2021 Vouvray Le Portail.

A luminous and refined expression of Chenin Blanc, pure and layered atypical Vouvray.

In the Loire Valley, where the Chenin Blanc grape finds its most eloquent voice, Vouvray Le Portail 2022 from Domaine Champalou stands as a testament to balance, between purity and texture, tradition and precision. This is not a showy Chenin, but a thoughtful one: its oak aging adds depth without disguise, allowing the grape’s natural elegance to shine through.

About the Winery

Founded in 1983 by Didier and Catherine Champalou, Domaine Champalou has grown into one of the Loire Valley’s most respected family estates. Situated in the village of Vouvray, the domaine is celebrated for its modern craftsmanship rooted in tradition. Their philosophy centers on respect for nature and terroir: sustainable viticulture, hand harvesting, and gentle vinification ensure wines of precision and purity.

Today, their daughter Céline Champalou continues the legacy with the same quiet dedication. The wines are hallmarks of balance, fresh, textured, and always staying true to the Chenin Blanc variety.

About the Region

Vouvray, in the heart of the Loire Valley’s Touraine region, lies on the right bank of the river and is defined by its limestone and clay soils, known locally as tuffeau. This chalky subsoil imparts both minerality and freshness, allowing Chenin Blanc to express a remarkable range, from bone-dry to lusciously sweet.

The 2022 vintage was marked by warmth and excellent ripening conditions, producing fruit with both intensity and aromatic precision. In Le Portail, these conditions translate into a wine that balances generosity with tension, one where the soil’s minerality and the year’s richness intertwine beautifully.

About the Wine

In the glass, Le Portail 2022 glows with a strong yellow hue, edged with gold, an early sign of its concentration. The nose is immediately inviting, opening with notes of ripe apricot, pear, and yellow apple, layered with honey and a hint of almond.

The nose is pure and inviting with notes of ripe apricot, golden apple and subtle vanilla from oak aging. Beneath the fruit lies a gentle flinty and earthy undertone, evoking the limestone soils of Vouvray.

On the palate, the wine is rich yet impeccably balanced. Layers of ripe stone fruit and honey are lifted by vibrant acidity and a crystalline mineral edge. The oak influence is adding roundness and depth without overshadowing the Chenin’s natural freshness. A bit of cream and spice rounds out the mid-palate, leading to a long, elegant finish where citrus zest and earthy tones mingle with a soft, not too out there, sweetness.

This is not your typical Chenin Blanc. Despite its oak aging, it remains graceful and precise, its fruit character perfectly intact, wrapped in a gentle, creamy frame. It’s both elegant and grounded, with an energy that mirrors the limestone soils it comes from.

Conclusion

The 2022 Vouvray Le Portail is an outstanding wine that captures the duality of Vouvray and the relationship to Chenin Blanc: richness balanced by purity, power by poise. It is a white wine that rewards attention, echoing both the character of its terroir and the meticulous hand that shaped it.

We award this wine an 92-point DWA score, a beautifully expressive Chenin Blanc that combines finesse, minerality, and sophistication whilst extending in it’s typical line of the grape variety.

This review is written by our own Nadine Massen. Domaine Champalou and their wines are available through our partner Klosse Wines, and can be bought in their online shop.

Taste date:      July 2025

Website:         Domaine Champalou