Incorporating the former Poniatowski estate's oldest (70 year) vines and traditionally its signature wine, the 2009 Vouvray sec Clos Baudoin - which, like the corresponding 'Les Argiles' might, Chidaine says, be labeled 'sec' to clarify its style - successfully integrates citrus rind and pip and fruit pit bitterness as well as adamant chalkiness into a palpably dense and as yet at best in small part scrutable matrix. This Chenin carved from stone nevertheless evinces a succulence of quince, grapefruit, and pineapple that anticipates harmonious richness for a decade or more. It finishes with implacable persistence. Will the ostensibly lesser Les Argiles blend retain the edge in quality in 2009 thanks to its cooler, more water-retentive soils of origin? Certainly both will merit following and welcome comparisons over the coming decade if not beyond. A still youthfully energetic Francois Chidaine - for more about whose methodology and recent history see my report in issue 172 - has continued to hone his long-ago manifest talents, even as (together with his cousin Nicolas) he oversees two estates (one formerly that of Prince Poniatowski in Vouvray, which accounts for 30% of total production). Based on their performance in cask, his 2009s - which weren't harvested much earlier than his 2008s - surpass those of his Vouvray and Montlouis neighbors (many of whom bottled their wines in spring) for refreshment, clarity, precision, and minerality, even though alcohol levels center around a for these appellations relatively high 13.5-14%. As for Chidaine's 2008s, while their acidity and minerality might strike some tasters as too prominent, I don't think Chidaine hyperbolizes when he calls the vintage 'magic.' You have to look to the historical collections of regional leaders Foreau and Huet to find comparable consistently high quality, making it clear that Chidaine is one of the world's finest craftsmen in the medium of white wine, not to mention a continuing source of amazing value. (I hope to be able to catch up with and report on his 2007s at some point, too, but there was simply no time to get to that when I visited him, nor since.) All of the 2009s in this report were tasted, unassembled, from a range of (nearly all 620-liter) barrels of various ages. There will as usual be an off-dry Les Tuffeaux bottling from barrels not selected for final inclusion in any site-specific cuvees - reflecting 6 or 7 parcels in all - but by its nature non-existent until after the late summer assemblage. It will however include the fruit of young vines from the flint-chalk Les Epinais that ascended to 14.7% alcohol even with high residual sugar, and whose caramelized, honeyed aura is more vintage-typical than most of the 2009 lots here. Incidentally, Chidaine intimated that he might re-instate the word 'sec' on the labels of his dry wines. I continue to consider it a mistake for him and so many of his follow-growers in Montlouis and Vouvray to rely solely on winery-internal conventions as to what tastes dry and what sweet. Chidaine now also bottles and exports to the U.S. inexpensive Touraine Sauvignon and red blends rendered from contract fruit.Importers include Beaune Imports, Berkeley, CA, tel. (510) 559 1040 and Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisko, NY; tel. (914) 244-0404

The Chidaine 2008 Vouvray sec Clos Baudoin is provocatively scented with musky narcissus and Misato rose radish; white truffle; and ineffable mineral and animal intimations, along with more predictable but lovely scents of ripe quince. The brightness and phenolic sizzle here will shake up your mouth about as much as one of those radishes and leave just as remarkably musky an aftertaste. Fresh lemon and grapefruit serve for juiciness that would still otherwise unquenchable thirst, but the sheer piquancy and pungency of this wine will have you going back for sip after sip unless you or until you douse your palate with water! This outstanding value should be riveting to follow for at least the next dozen years - if you can just get the rivets off of your palate. A still youthfully energetic Francois Chidaine - for more about whose methodology and recent history see my report in issue 172 - has continued to hone his long-ago manifest talents, even as (together with his cousin Nicolas) he oversees two estates (one formerly that of Prince Poniatowski in Vouvray, which accounts for 30% of total production). Based on their performance in cask, his 2009s - which weren't harvested much earlier than his 2008s - surpass those of his Vouvray and Montlouis neighbors (many of whom bottled their wines in spring) for refreshment, clarity, precision, and minerality, even though alcohol levels center around a for these appellations relatively high 13.5-14%. As for Chidaine's 2008s, while their acidity and minerality might strike some tasters as too prominent, I don't think Chidaine hyperbolizes when he calls the vintage 'magic.' You have to look to the historical collections of regional leaders Foreau and Huet to find comparable consistently high quality, making it clear that Chidaine is one of the world's finest craftsmen in the medium of white wine, not to mention a continuing source of amazing value. (I hope to be able to catch up with and report on his 2007s at some point, too, but there was simply no time to get to that when I visited him, nor since.) All of the 2009s in this report were tasted, unassembled, from a range of (nearly all 620-liter) barrels of various ages. There will as usual be an off-dry Les Tuffeaux bottling from barrels not selected for final inclusion in any site-specific cuvees - reflecting 6 or 7 parcels in all - but by its nature non-existent until after the late summer assemblage. It will however include the fruit of young vines from the flint-chalk Les Epinais that ascended to 14.7% alcohol even with high residual sugar, and whose caramelized, honeyed aura is more vintage-typical than most of the 2009 lots here. Incidentally, Chidaine intimated that he might re-instate the word 'sec' on the labels of his dry wines. I continue to consider it a mistake for him and so many of his follow-growers in Montlouis and Vouvray to rely solely on winery-internal conventions as to what tastes dry and what sweet. Chidaine now also bottles and exports to the U.S. inexpensive Touraine Sauvignon and red blends rendered from contract fruit.Importers include Beaune Imports, Berkeley, CA, tel. (510) 559 1040 and Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisko, NY; tel. (914) 244-0404

From the 70 year old vines planted in deep chalk-clay that formed the heart of the Poniatowski property, Chidaine’s 2005 Vouvray Clos Baudoin smells of comice pear, green tea, lime and cardamom. Very leesy and creamy on the palate, with honeyed richness of fruit only subtly impinged upon by chalk and citrus, this finishes broad and full, with pear and quince predominating, and a faint hint of heat that may reflect the price in alcohol that had to be paid to keep it dry-tasting. Importer: Louis/Dressner Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 334-8191