2023 Francois Chidaine Vin de France Vouvray Baudoin, Loire Valley

Chidaine began working with one of the greatest and most storied Vouvray vineyards in 2002 and immediately began restoring the health of Clos Baudoin’s soil and converting it to biodynamics. You only need to stand in the vineyard to know you are in a great site. Sitting on the crest of a hill high over the surrounding countryside, it is a strangely tranquil place. It's 2.7 hectares in size with an average vine age of over 70 years. The soils are clay and chalk, with a deep tuffeau (local limestone) subsoil.

Compared to the relative approachability of this grower’s Les Argiles cuvée, this wine is a deep, tightly coiled and densely compact Vouvray. Exuding intensity and power, you immediately realise you’re tasting a wine from a profound terroir. Raised in 10+-year-old demi-muids, it opens with citrus peel and white peach flecked by lime blossom and chalky mineral substance. The palate is predictably pure and focused, purring with glinting, stone-fruited intensity underscored by pulpy citrus and notes of red peppercorn and pollen. Time will tell us just how great this Vouvray will be, for now, it’s a vibrant and compact Chenin bursting with potential. And with a light grip on the finish, it’s made for food.

François Chidaine Vin de France Vouvray Baudoin is a profoundly elegant and mineral-laced Chenin Blanc that speaks to both the history and precision of the Loire Valley. Though crafted from old vines in one of Vouvray’s finest sites, Baudoin is labelled as Vin de France rather than Vouvray AOC due to Chidaine’s cellar being located just across the river in Montlouis. It’s a technicality, but the wine itself is unmistakably Vouvray—complex, tense, and built to age.

Baudoin is a vineyard of clay and limestone over tuffeau, situated on the limestone-rich slopes of Vouvray. The vines are old and farmed biodynamically, as with all of François Chidaine’s parcels, and yields are kept low to concentrate flavour and intensity. This is Chenin made with the utmost respect for site and tradition.

Fermentation is carried out using indigenous yeasts, typically in large, neutral demi-muids. The wine is aged on fine lees to enhance mouthfeel and build complexity. Baudoin is often made in a dry or just off-dry style, with residual sugar balanced by razor-sharp acidity and a strong mineral backbone.

In the glass, it opens with aromas of white peach, quince, acacia honey, fennel, and crushed stone. The palate is layered and elegant with citrus peel, ripe orchard fruit, and a saline finish that lingers with chalky grip and bright acidity. The texture is silky, the structure is fine, and the overall impression is of clarity and quiet power.

This wine pairs beautifully with roast poultry, veal in cream sauce, aged goat cheese, or rich seafood dishes. It is also a collector’s dream, with the potential to age gracefully for decades.