2022 François Chidaine Montlouis Les Grillonnières by Alice Chidaine, Loire Valley

Les Grillonnières is a tiny parcel of 120-year-old vines farmed and bottled by François and Manuéla Chidaine’s eldest child, Alice Chidaine. Following her studies, Alice knocked up some work experience with Dagueneau and Clos Rougeard as well as old-vine Chenin specialist Chris Alheit (in South Africa) before returning home in time for the 2016 vintage. Since 2015, Alice has been cutting her teeth on the classic flint-clay soils of this old-vine Montlouis parcel.

The south-facing Les Grillonnières is a warmer site than Alice’s brothers’ Epinays parcel (see below) resulting in a wonderfully refined and textural mouthfeel loaded with juicy lemon, fleshy pear and fragrant herbs underpinned by phenolic grip, tangy acidity and a tapering close flecked with iodine. Respect. The winemaking barely differs from her father and the label bears both Alice’s and her father’s name.