A Gordon’s Fave, Declassified Vouvray Master

Don’t Let the Label Fool You—This Is Vouvray Royalty

When it comes to Chenin Blanc, few names carry the quiet gravitas of François Chidaine. Alongside Domaine Huet, Chidaine has long defined what’s possible in Montlouis and Vouvray—two appellations separated only by the Loire River, and united by limestone bedrock and centuries of vinegrowing history.

The 2023 ‘Les Argiles’ is Chidaine’s flagship dry Chenin Blanc from Vouvray—but due to an obscure and outdated rule, it must now wear the humble label “Vin de France.” Chidaine vinifies this wine in Montlouis rather than Vouvray, and under the current AOC regulations, wines must be aged entirely within the village to qualify for the name. This technicality, not terroir or quality, is the only thing standing between this bottle and its rightful AOC. (Talks are underway to change this. Chidaine is already in discussion with the appellation board.)

But appellation or not, Les Argiles is Vouvray at its most expressive—grown in deep clay-limestone soils over a subsoil of soft, porous tuffeau chalk. These soils lend the wine a generous mid-palate and a vibrant, mineral tension that are hallmarks of the region’s best dry Chenins.

The 2023 vintage comes from 40-year-old vines farmed biodynamically, without chemical inputs, in a mosaic of old plots across the Vouvray appellation. Grapes are hand-harvested in successive passes, gently pressed, and fermented with native yeasts in large demi-muids. Malolactic fermentation is avoided to preserve freshness, and the wine is aged on fine lees for up to eight months. The result is an aromatic, full-bodied Chenin laced with notes of citrus peel, crisp apple, honeycomb, and a whisper of flinty reduction. It finishes with signature Chidaine precision: clean, saline, and deeply rooted in place.

For those who have admired the aging potential and grace of Domaine Huet’s Sec bottlings, Chidaine’s Les Argiles offers a thrilling parallel—one that, some might argue, has grown even more refined and elegant in recent years. And at this price, it’s one of the greatest values in French white wine.

Don’t let the Vin de France label fool you. This is top-tier Vouvray through and through—crafted by one of the Loire’s modern masters. These wines will not hit our shelves, we always sell out. So order up.

 

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