François Chidaine is probably one of the most exciting and well-regarded producers in Central Loire Valley, France. And perhaps what has added to his reputation is the fact that the second-generation winemaker finds himself in Montlouis, often considered the lesser sibling of the larger Vouvray - which makes it all the more impressive what he's been able to consistently produce from the region.

For the longest time, folks had dismissed Montlouis, which sits across the Loire River from Vouvray, for its gravelly and sandy soils, caked in clay and silex, which were believed to be unideal for producing strong wines. Yet François had demonstrated with a mastery of the Chenin Blanc grape his ability to create elegant and mineral rich dry Chenins. Also admirable is his astuteness and patience in acquiring his parcels of undervalued land, which he would later showcase his ability to bring out the potential in them.

François and his wife Manuéla.

While he did not come from a long line of winemakers, he had attended viticultural school and had worked alongside his father Yves for several years before taking over the reins. His father had rented 4 hectares of vines in Montlouis to produce his wines, and when he had retired, François would instead request for the option to purchase the same vineyards should it ever come up for sale. He would eventually come to fully own his own vineyards. He also had set up a small shop, La Cave Insolite, in the late 1990's to showcase his wines.

Over the next decades, François would gradually build his reputation on producing great Chenins but also amassing enough vineyards to become a serious player in the Central Loire - most notably he would acquire the prized but disused Clos Baudoin in Vouvray, which while once belonging to Polish royalty had been mishandled. He would later expand into Touraine as well - which is what we'll be trying shortly. Today, François sits on 37 hectares across the Montlouis, Vouvray and Touraine appellations.

Another aspect of why François is so highly respected is his strong biodynamic and organic winemaking philosophy - this took years for François to achieve and with much difficulty. Yet his strong adherence and execution of these beliefs have made him many fans. With yields kept incredibly low and vines aged between 30 to 80 years old, François has certainly played the long game. He works the vineyards by hand and actively encourages cover crops to co-exist so as to allow the vines to find their place and better reflect the terroir. François also uses gentle pressing with indigenous yeast for wild fermentation, with wines fermenting in a combination of stainless steel, French oak barrels and demi-muids, as well as having extended lees contact and uses minimal sulphur.

The winemaker is also particularly moved by the thought of climate change and actively uses a low-till approach and steers his vineyards towards removing more carbon dioxide from the air than adding to it, which he hopes is his role in reducing his carbon footprint.

Ultimately, as a winemaker, there is much to talk about François Chidaine's ethos and achievements - and is ultimately why he's held in such high regard and is often attributed as a key producer that has elevated the Central Loire and made it incredibly sexy again.Now today, we don't have one of Chidaine's highly sought after Chenins - that will have to wait for another time - but we're going to review a more accessible work from Chidaine, his Touraine Rouge. From his Touraine vineyards, the smallest of his three, Chidaine produces a Sauvignon Blanc, a Gamay, a Rose and the Rouge.

This Touraine Rouge from the 2020 vintage is made from 100% biodynamically grown varieties of Cot, Cabernet Franc and Pinot d'Aunis, as well as indigenous yeast for wild fermentation, fermented and aged in stainless steel vats. 

Let's go!

Francois Chidaine, Touraine Red (Rouge) 2020 - Review

Tasting Notes

Colour: Dark Ruby

Aroma: Really vibrant richness of fruity rich berry cordials - blackcurrant (or Ribena), blueberries, mulberries and raspberries - you get touches of each but with blackcurrants taking the lead. That said, the sweetness here is more subtle, with a good density and fuller bouquet. Over time, the raspberries jostle to get ahead, more on raspberry jam and still with those blackcurrant cordials. Again, it's fruity, full and pretty vibrant, but just a gentle sweetness.

Taste: Medium-bodied here, noticeable tannins but still with a moderate amount of richness. That said, it still has a certain lightness about it - blackcurrants with some light raspberries and white currants.

Finish: Some light wisps of tobacco leaves, alittle more dry with some light raspberry jam, as well as some mulberry and mulberry leaves.

My Thoughts

This was a very solid entry level red from Chidaine - it most definitely punches about its weight with a nice sturdy and medium bodied presence, with good richness and vibrance, it's got some complexity to it as well with a nice progression of the the fruit from cordials toward an earthier profile.

While you don't quite feel the soft tannins, you do still get a sense that there is structure to the wine, with the richness just masking it - this gives it a nice sort of detail and precision to it rather than something that is all over. It almost gives your mind and palate a heads up as to where to place it, and then doing so well as to fill that space - it's definite and easy to pinpoint.

Also something that stood out for me how on the palate despite the richness, it also juggled a very antithetical lightness to it - with these jammy berries that are neither overly sweet nor tart.

Very tasty, would go perfect with seafood, superb value!

Kanpai!

@111hotpot