Domaine de la Pierre Gravée - Inspirations 2023
The Domaine de la Pierre Gravée stands out as one of the most followed young labels in Vouvray, in the heart of the Loire Valley. Behind this venture is Philippe Guyonnet, a passionate enthusiast who became a winemaker after a journey enriched by wine, gastronomy, and encounters with great vineyard artisans. His training was first built in the Mâconnais, notably around Cruzilles, before fully expanding on the Chenin terroirs of Touraine. In Vouvray, he took over a heritage of old vines planted on several geological bases characteristic of the appellation. The cellar carved into tuffeau, cool and naturally humid, offers an ideal setting for long and precise aging. From its first vintages, the estate asserts a clear ambition: to produce deep, vibrant dry Chenins capable of combining flesh, tension, and elegance. Inspirations 2023 fully fits into this trajectory, with an expression that is both Ligérienne, refined, and already highly sought after.
The Inspirations 2023 cuvée is made exclusively from Chenin Blanc, the king grape of Vouvray and the true guiding thread of the estate. The 2023 vintage, generous but demanding in the Loire, required a rigorous selection to preserve the precision and balance of the wine. Philippe Guyonnet works here with a logic of patience, with fermentations using indigenous yeasts and a long aging that gives the wine time to build. The juices are aged in wood, in an approach reminiscent of some great dry Chenins of Touraine, without seeking a woody effect but rather texture, depth, and length. The absence of malolactic fermentation allows preserving the natural energy of Chenin, its acidic relief, and mineral tension. The aging integrates more into the matter than in the first vintages, bringing a more integrated, fluid, and immediately readable dimension. With only about 9,000 bottles produced, Inspirations 2023 remains a confidential cuvée, designed for lovers of great dry white Loire wines.
In the glass, Domaine de la Pierre Gravée Inspirations 2023 reveals a Chenin Blanc that is both expressive, elegant, and structured. The nose evokes juicy pear, ripe white fruit, floral nuances, and a subtly pastry-like touch from the aging. The palate opens with an enveloping sensation, almost Burgundian in its volume, before regaining the lively acidity and chalky freshness typical of great dry Vouvrays. The matter is ample but controlled, with a dry fat perfectly balanced by a fine and dynamic framework. The finish extends the wine on notes of white fruits, wet stone, and delicate bitters, with an already very convincing persistence. This 2023 can be enjoyed young after careful aeration, but it also has the structure necessary to evolve gracefully over several years. It will ideally accompany creamy poultry, a noble fish with beurre blanc, scallops, aged goat cheese, or a vegetable cuisine worked around root vegetables.
Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
