François Chidaine, Montlouis Tendre, Les Tuffeaux, Montlouis-sur-Loire, Touraine, Loire, France, 2020

Producer Profile

François Chidaine is the producer who put Montlouis firmly back on the map of world class Chenin Blanc’s.

An early disciple of ‘Biodynamie’, he has succeeded in producing some of the most elegant Loire whites with consistently great balance between ripeness and structure.

Viticulture

Biodynamic in approach, Les Tuffeaux comes from François’ 20 hectares of vineyards and is a selection of his oldest vines, aged between 30 and 90 years, sourced from across Montlouis. The vines grow on deep clay-limestone and coarse flint soils known as ‘Les Perruches’, with a planting density of 6,600 vines per hectare. The subsoil is composed of Tuffeau and soft limestone. Harvesting is done by hand over several passes (‘tris’), with low yields of 43 hl/ha, and bunches are carefully sorted in the vineyard. Clos Habert, Bournais, Clos du Breuil, and Les Choisilles are all single-vineyard wines.

Winemaking

After gentle pressing in a pneumatic press, fermentation takes place with indigenous yeasts in 600L oak barrels (demi-muids) over a period of up to six months. The wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation. It is then matured on fine lees in the same 600L barrels for 11 months, allowing for greater complexity and texture. The finished wine retains a small amount of residual sugar.

Tasting Note

An aromatic nose that gradually reveals its delicate freshness. Fruity notes and a hint of acidity on the finish, creating a beautiful balance. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, complex and beautifully balanced, with a lovely core and soil undertow, zesty acids and a long, focused and very classy finish.

Food Matching

An ideal aperitif or with cold cuts, white meat, sweet and sour and spicy dishes.