François Chidaine Vin de France (Vouvray) Les Argiles 2021

Although this wine is 100% from Vouvray it is not permitted to be labelled as such because it is fermented and aged across the river in Montlouis. It’s therefore labelled as Vin de France, a change in circumstance that has not bothered Chidaine’s clients one jot.

As always, this magnificent bottling is drawn from a series of clay-rich Vouvray sites (argiles = clay) that surround the Clos Baudoin. These include L’Espagnole, La Chatterie, L’Homme, La Reugnières and Le Haut Lieu (of Huet fame). Set away from the river, these sites are mostly populated with 40-year-old bush vines, which grow on deep, chalky clay over a subsoil of limestone. All these vineyards are managed biodynamically and with regenerative agriculture.