Chenin: New Arrivals from Julien Pinon, Chidaine, Closel and More!
2/4/2025
Great news for Chenin Blanc fans as new shipments have just arrived from Julien Pinon, François Chidaine and Domaine du Closel!
Domaine Julien Pinon
My wife and I had the good fortune to taste at Domaine Pinon with Julien's grandfather, Claude, in 1981, including a sip of 1959 Moelleux which had been opened for a birthday! This of course led us to return visits and a 1991(?) tasting with François Pinon, who had take over from his father in 1987, along with importer Joe Dressner. Our dear friend François brought the estate into the top ranks of Vouvray, along with Huet, Foreau, Careme and Chidaine, through organic farming and superb vinifications of Chenin from the old vines in the cooler "deuxième cote" vineyards at Vallée de Cousse. François made superb wines in all styles from sec to liquoreux but preferred an off-dry style that we find today in the 2023 Silex Noir and 2019 "Trois Argiles," as he felt that the acidity from the cooler climate and older limestone benefited from the softening presence of residual sugar. François' 1996 Cuvée Botrytis stands out as one of the great sweet wines of Vouvray history, and today, thanks to Julien, we offer the superb 1995 Cuvée Botrytis whch shows a bit less acidity but equally compelling complexity and depth. Julien Pinon (pictured above) took over in 2021, facing the tragic loss of his father and a horrible year of frost and hail, but he persevered, along with help from other growers (notably Vincent Careme) and is today producing superb wines at the same level as François and we are very happy to offer his beautiful sparkling, sec and demi-sec wines from 2022 and 2023! Special note should be made of the 2018 Moelleux and Goutte D'Or in today's email, as they combine voluptuous ripeness with a silky texture and bright acidity which will carry them wonderfully through the years. (For the heartfelt memorial "Remembering François Pinon" by Chris Kissack click here)
[Chidaine vineyard map, with "Les Bournais" overlooking the Loire on the upper right]
Domaine François Chidaine (we like these exerpts from their website!)
"On one side the Loire, and on the other the limestone tuffeau hillsides, welcome to Montlouis-sur-Loire, in the heart of Touraine. Cradle of the Domaine François CHIDAINE which today extends over 45 hectares.
Chenin blanc reigns supreme on our 22 hectares of Montlouis and 10 hectares of Vouvray. The vines that thrive in more than fifty plots have been managed organically since 1992 (certified by Ecocert) and biodynamically since 1999 (certified by Biodyvin). They are sometimes rooted in flint clay soils and sometimes in clay-limestone soils which transmit a palette of nuances to the grapes…
The biodynamic farming: "Only the area between the vines is worked on the surface to prevent the proliferation of weeds. The soils are grassed, honey plants, nematicides and legumes are sown between the rows, promoting biodiversity through the development of local microfauna and microflora. (François is now seeding 20 different varieties of plants throughout the vines. He estimates they are banking one ton of carbon per hectare per year.) To complete this approach, we have also opted for eco-grazing during the winter - we bring in Sologne sheep, emblematic of our region, to maintain the plots ecologically and contribute to the natural fertilization of the soil."
Today we feature new releases from Montlouis, including a few cases of the superb 2021 "Les Choisilles," as well as the 2023 Vin de France "Baudoin" (uh-oh, can't call it Vouvray as the estate is based in Montlouis!), all of which offer the unique vibrant acidity and mineral character always found in the Chidaine wines.
Domaine du Closel
We're happy to offer the 2022 vintage Savennières from Domaine du Closel which have just arrived in NY. Owner Evelyne de Pontbriand, who passed away in November of 2024, took over the family estate in 2001 and made dramatic changes, converting the vineyards to organic and biodynamic farming and improving vinification and aging techniques. She became President of the Savennieres appellation in 2008 and led a resurgence in quality that has brought Savennieres into the top rank of the world's Chenin Blancs. Evelyne once organized a tasting of every vintage of the domain's dry wines going back to 1967, a long and tiring evening, but it was rather amazing to see the progress from early-harvested, acidic, full of sulfur wines to the brilliant, pure, complex and elegant wines produced today!
There is great terroir at Closel, the entire vineyard being located on the most western hill of Savennières and including some of the best parcels in the AOC: Les Caillardières and Clos du Papillon. The topsoil is shallow, very warm and consists of purple/green schist and sandstone enriched with volcanic rocks (quartz, phtanites, ryolites and spilites).
The 2022 wines from Closel show beautiful ripeness and moderate but firm acidity, making them ideal for current drinking and cellaring of up to 15 years, with the superb "Clos du Papillon" of course being the most structured and age-worthy.
Anjou Sec from Domaine Cady
We recently introduced the full range of Anjou and Coteaux d Layon wines from this overachieving but unknown organic estate based in Saint-Aubin de Luigné and Rochefort-sur-Loire. We'd like to add the top Cady dry Chenins to today's offer, as the quality and value of these two wines are absolutely fantastic. The 2022 Anjou "Cheninsolite" is from schist soils in Saint-Aubin de Luigné, harvested late but vinified dry, fermented in barrel, finishing dry with 2 gr/l RS and aged on the lees. The 2022 Anjou "Moulin Ste. Catherine" is from a north facing slope above the Loire in Rochefort-sur-Loire, adjacent to the famous Baumard "Clos Ste. Catherine." The grapes are harvested late for optimum maturity and the wine is vinified and aged in Italian "cocciopesto" amphora. These are vibrant, complex Chenins, really showing the schist soils!
