Birth Year Brilliance - Marc Bredif
Florence DiffeyShare
There aren't that many wines out there where you can say, in all certainty, this wine will look just as good if not better in 50 years.
Enter Vouvray, by Marc Bredif.
Flying under the radar with high quality Chenin Blanc sitting on the shelf for $42, Marc Bredif would have to be one of the most underrated producers of fine wine in the world. For anyone new to Vouvray, it is an appellation in the central region of the Loire Valley, next door to Chenonceaux, the birthplace and homeland of the grape Chenin Blanc. My favourite grape. So versatile, so malleable, so regal... from the driest of dry to the sweetest of sweet, chalky to luscious, it has it all.
Well, Marc Bredif, as it is known now, has been producing Chenin Blanc in Vouvray consistantly since the 1800's.
They have three tiers of production which also loosely correspond to sweetness levels and concentration. The 'Classic' is a dry style, this is almost always available at Vera. The next level up is 'Grand Année' or great vintage. These are off-dry wines which have potential for substantial ageing. I recently drank a bottle of 1990 - the birth year of a friend - and it was phenomenal. Honeyed, nutty with ample stone fruit and voluptuous texture. It looked fresh as a daisy. The top tier is the Bredif Collection. This is a selected museum release held back only for exceptional vintages, in a medium-dry style.
There are vintages of Grand Année and Bredif Collection available back to the 1940's.
These bottles are rare and limited, and have come directly from the winery so provenance is guaranteed.
If you are after a birth year wine, consider a Bredif for zero disappointment and maximum enjoyment!