Maison Foucher Lebrun Vouvray La Vigne des Sablons

Vouvray is Chenin Blanc's spiritual home — a small AOC on the right bank of the Loire just east of Tours, where the grape is grown on tuffeau (a soft chalk-limestone) and shaped into styles ranging from bone-dry to lusciously sweet. Maison Foucher Lebrun is one of the Loire's historic négociant houses, with roots going back generations in the region's wine trade. La Vigne des Sablons ("The Sandy Soil Vineyard") is their Vouvray expression — vinified in a demi-sec style that captures Chenin Blanc's defining tension between natural acidity and ripe fruit sweetness. Floral and honeyed on the nose with quince, apple, and a mineral thread, and a palate where the off-dry richness is kept lively by the grape's characteristic freshness. Excellent with food, particularly anything with a touch of sweetness, spice, or richness.

Food Pairings: Foie gras, roast pork with apple sauce, blue cheese, spicy Thai or Vietnamese cuisine, fruit-based appetizers, fresh fruit tarts