Chidaine 'Clos Habert' Montlouis 2019

Biodynamic. This Domaine has a number of cuvees that often fall into what would traditionally be called demi-sec territory. However, Chidaine prefers to call these wines tendre, or 'gently dry'. This is because the level of sweetness can fluctuate widely depending on the vintage. Like the great wines of the Mosel, these are wines where the sugar/acid balance is more important than residual levels. They are powered by their ripeness rather than sweetness, and always finish tangy and fresh. 

This three-hectare clos sits just above the Clos de Breuil, on a plateau where the silex (flint) gives way to broken chalk and clay. It's home to 60-year-old guyot- and bush-trained vines that are hand-harvested in tris with very low yields (circa 30 hl/ha). The 2019 is another powerful (and surprisingly dry) wine, with only around 10 g/L residual (considerably lower than the mid-teen to 20 g/L figures we usually find). 

'From a soil composed of clay and coarse flint elements covering the subsoil made up of tuff, the 2019 Montlouis sur Loire Clos Habert opens with a very fine and delicate bouquet of finely concentrated yellow-fleshed fruit aromas along with herbal and flinty notes. Round and intense, with perfectly ripe fruit, fine tannins and delicate acidity, this is a sustainably intense and salty Chenin that is far too young to be served today but will age for some decades.' 93+ points, Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate