François Chidaine is one of France’s most exciting white wine makers. It’s not hype – the wines are terrific and the winemaking approach is impeccable. Great vineyards managed biodynamically, ultra low yields and hands-off élevage are the order of the day here. Chidaine has achieved with Chenin what Didier Dagueneau achieved with Sauvignon: wines of staggering texture and complexity. (It might provide an idea of Chidaine’s standing in the Loire, that when Benjamin Dagueneau wanted to gain experience as a younger man, he went to work with Chidaine). Montlouis is Vouvray’s little brother, sitting directly across the Loire river in France’s North. The analogy of siblings is a good one as the rivalry between these two regions is intense. However, as Montlouis is much smaller in size (400 hectares as opposed to 1800 for Vouvray) and considering most of the wine is consumed in France, Montlouis is less well-known. But François Chidaine is quickly changing this. He is one of the masters of French white wine in general, and Chenin Blanc in particular. He has driven a renaissance in Montlouis, produced Vouvray to challenge that region’s very best, and has also resuscitated of one of Vouvray’s most hallowed vineyards, the Clos Baudoin, which is now a Chidaine monopole. One of the remarkable aspects of Chidaine is that despite his success, his prices remain remarkably fair.
