The Aubuisieres 2009 Vouvray Sec Le Marigny smells provocatively of musk, roasted portabellas, and grapefruit rind; offers a full palate strongly tinged with alkaline, saline, oyster shell, and wet stone manifestations of minerality; and finishes with impressive cling but not much sense of succulence or refreshment. Might this – in the manner of Fouquet’s other cuvees of the vintage – have been better for some residual sugar? I’m sure the question is moot as he “had” to have some completely dry wine to offer. But I would plan on employing this one over the next couple of years. It was good to be able to taste an expanded range of Bernard Fouquet’s many cuvees, some if which – I am ashamed to admit – I had never tasted before, having never paid him a visit. Fouquet has followed the fashionable tendency to abolish labeling with “sec” or “demi-sec” as a taste indicator (a trend notably resisted by Fouquet’s two best-known neighbors and arguably the only ones making even more exciting wine than his, namely Foreau and Huet). As with many growers’ German Rieslings, the surest hint to the wines’ degrees of sweetness is the levels of alcohol indicated on the label. But with one exception that he does label “sec,” it’s true that from 2009 none of Fouquet’s still wines taste totally dry.Importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800

The barrel-fermented 1995 Le Marigny Sec, with 13% natural alcohol, exhibits a flowery nose with underlying, intense mineral scents. Excellent richness, combined with brilliant focus, medium body, and a dry finish, result in a wine that will drink beautifully with Asian cuisine. This delicious wine demonstrates once again that dry Chenin Blancs remain among the most underrated wines of France. It should drink well for 2-4 years. Importer: Peter Weygandt, Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel (610) 932-2745

Very austere for a Vouvray, this is light and very tart, finishing bone dry with a lemon-peel bitterness. There is some peachy fruit underneath. -

The four 1993s reviewed in this issue include three strikingly pretty dry wines, and one very sweet dessert-styled wine (the Marigny Moelleux). The completely dry 1993 Vouvray Sec-Le Marigny is an exquisite example of what heights dry Chenin Blanc can achieve in the clay/limestone soils of Vouvray. The wine displays a superb, beautifully scented nose of spring flowers, honey, and fruit. Dry on the palate, with gorgeously pure, ripe fruit, medium body, and exquisite precision to its personality, this is a knock-out dry Chenin Blanc that can be drunk as an aperitif or with an assortment of delicate foods. I prefer to drink these wines early for their super freshness, but this offering will last for 3-4 years, perhaps longer. This low-tech domaine, which primarily practices organic farming, combined with the use of indigenous yeasts from the vineyard for fermentation, has become one of the new darlings of the French press. Imported by Weygandt-Metzler, Box 56, Unionville, PA 19375. The telephone number is (610) 486-0800; fax (610) 932-0279. Questions regarding availability in specific states and cities should be directed to Peter Weygandt.