Collection: François Chidaine

Here is the latest vintage from François Chidaine. We waited a while before presenting them to you because Chenin Blancs always need some time to settle. 2024, a difficult vintage throughout France, returns to the floral and taut style of the estate in cooler years. All the wines are successful, each expressing a characteristic Chenin Blanc style ranging from precision to richness:

• Clays: very beautiful, rich, aromatic
• Clos du Breuil: The most complete, lots of tension thanks to the flints in poor soil
• Les Choisilles: floral, elegant, terroir richer in flint
• Clos Baudoin: reserved in his youth, he opens up with time
• Bournais: Immediate seduction for a straightforward and complex Chenin Blanc with perfect balance

Having settled in Montlouis-sur-Loire in the late 1980s, François Chidaine, along with Manuela Chidaine, gradually built up an estate now spread across 20 hectares in Montlouis and Vouvray.

The vines grow in a mosaic of clay-limestone soils, flinty clays—locally called choisilles —and chalky tuffeau. This geological diversity results in contrasting wine profiles, where the natural acidity of Chenin Blanc is expressed differently depending on the soil depth, the proportion of clay, or the presence of flint.

The wines are aged for 12 months on their fine lees in wooden containers of varying sizes, without any strong emphasis on aromatic character. The objective remains the preservation of the natural balance between acidity, body, and mineral expression.

In Montlouis, dry wines are distinguished by very low residual sugars and a straightforward structure, supported by a saline and lemony base. François Chidaine's wines are characterized by a remarkable aging potential, with slow evolution towards honeyed, smoky, and spicy notes.

Certified organic and biodynamic farm