Wine · Vouvray, Loire Valley
Domaine Sebastien Brunet
Hand-harvested Vouvray, from sparkling to sweet, along the Brenne valley.
- Based in
- Vouvray, Loire Valley
Their story
Sébastien Brunet makes Vouvray in the Loire Valley, with vineyards running along the Brenne, a small tributary of the Loire, from Reugny through Chançay to La Folie and Vernou. His cellar in Chançay is carved out of the local tufa stone.
The estate began with about three hectares that Sébastien's grandfather passed to his father, Michel, in 1974. Michel grew it to around 15 hectares. Sébastien trained at the wine school in Amboise and worked six harvests beside his father before taking charge in 2006, after Michel's unexpected death.
Since then he has been moving the vineyards toward organic farming while keeping the full range of Vouvray styles, from sparkling to dry to demi-sec.
How it's made
Grapes are picked by hand into small crates and pressed slowly in a pneumatic press. The juice settles without enzymes and ferments with native yeasts, and malolactic fermentation is generally avoided to keep Chenin Blanc's acidity. Sparkling wines make up nearly half the output, including a pét-nat bottled before fermentation finishes.
Why we carry them
We reach for Brunet when we want to show how much range Chenin Blanc has, from a lively pét-nat to a rich demi-sec, all from one family's vines.
Find more makers like this in Provisions Club, our curated subscription.
Explore Provisions Club