Chidaine Montlouis Bournais Sec 2019

Description

The Francois Chidaine Montlouis Les Bournais is a drop-dead value, winelovers. It punches way above its price point in terms of caliber and deliciousness. We had it with Indian food and each ingredient became elevated by the other. Try it with seared tuna and kimchi/scallion pancakes or buttermilk fried chicken with a side of celery root remoulade. The richness of the fried chicken and the creaminess of the remoulade are perfect opposite the bold intensity and beautifully balanced acidity of this Montlouis. A last course of Humboldt Fog goat cheese with dried apples or a Clementine creme brulee will be the meal’s icing on the cake, or just another glass, solo.François Chidaine of Montlouis-sur-Loire in the Loire Valley is a pioneer of natural viticulture who’s awakening around saving his soils led him to embrace regenerative farming. It all began in Les Bournais, an old vine parcel on a limestone plateau overlooking the Loire River, and a place referred to by Chidaine as “magical”. In this vineyard, Chidaine has a mix of over 25 sowed and indigenous plants between vine rows, which make up his year round cover crop. He does not till the vineyard in an effort to increase biodiversity, reduce erosion, retain moisture, and add vitality to the soils and eco-system. He believes this achieves a deeper expression of terroir and since it helps to draw down carbon from the atmosphere, is also key to saving the planet. Chidaine’s pensive, perceptive approach in the vineyard and in the cellar (where he has an exceptionally deft hand) has influenced a generation of winegrowers. This racy yet full-bodied Chenin is the closest to Vouvray in profile of Chidaine’s Montlouis wines, and it is a flagship wine for the domaine and the region.Robert Parker, Jr.’s Wine Advocate: “From three- to 19-year-old vines, the 2019 Montlouis sur Loire Les Bournais displays a golden-yellow color and a dense, well-concentrated and aromatic bouquet with tropical fruit aromas and, currently, still prominent lactic notes with straw aromas that intertwine with delicate flinty and earthy notes. Intense, tight and salty on the palate, this is a serious as well as tannic Chenin that reveals remarkable finesse and length. Still young but with excellent aging potential. Drink date: 2023-2038.” Aug 2021Bottle750ml, corkFarmingCertified Organic & BiodynamicVarietal100% Chenin BlancAlcohol14.0%Agingin a combination of tank & used demi-muidsRegionMontlouis, Loire Valley, France