Domaine François Chidaine Montlouis Clos Habert 2020

Domaine François Chidaine's Clos Habert is a Montlouis Chenin Blanc left just off-dry, from a three-hectare plateau site above the Clos du Breuil.

Chidaine makes several cuvées that would once have been labelled demi-sec, though he prefers the word tendre — gently dry — because the level of sugar shifts with the season. As in the Mosel, the balance between sugar and acid matters more than the number itself: these are wines powered by ripeness rather than sweetness, and they finish tangy. Clos Habert covers three hectares on a plateau where the silex that dominates Montlouis gives way to broken chalk and clay. The vines are 60 years old, trained both to guyot and as bushes, cropped at around 30 hl/ha and picked by hand in successive passes. The 2020 was raised in large-format barrel and finishes with roughly 13 g/L of residual sugar, which reads as barely off-dry against the acidity. It is the more citrus-driven of the domaine's tendre wines, with quince, pear and orange peel over a long, snaking close.

Drinking well now and able to age a decade or more. It is very good with sweet-and-sour dishes, roast pork or a well-aged hard cheese, served at around 10°C.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.