Domaine François Chidaine : Les Bournais 2024

Characteristics and tasting notes for the Montlouis-sur-Loire 2024 Domaine François Chidaine

Tasting notes

Colour
The colour reveals a pale golden-white hue, enhanced by delicate silvery and greenish glints.

Nose
The aromatic bouquet opens with great freshness, releasing scents of white flowers, apple, pear and lemon, nuanced by subtle touches of peach. A pronounced mineral thread emerges, evoking chalk and gunflint.

Palate
On the palate, this wine offers a superb balance between the richness of ripe fruit and a lively, characteristic acidity. Medium-bodied, it unfolds a complex texture underpinned by saline and mineral notes. The finish proves clean, invigorating and delicately iodine-tinged.

Food and wine pairing

Thanks to its lovely vibrancy, this white wine pairs beautifully with seafood such as oysters, scallops or pan-seared sea bass. It also pairs wonderfully with Mediterranean dishes, goat's cheese, green vegetables like asparagus, as well as white meats in creamy sauces or fine charcuterie.

Service and storage

For an optimal tasting experience, it is recommended to serve this Montlouis-sur-Loire 2024 at a temperature between 8 and 10°C in a classic white wine glass. Approachable in its youth, it can continue to evolve in the cellar until around 2029.

Other characteristics

This wine stands out with a profile ranging from dry to off-dry, supported by a moderate alcohol content of around 12%.

The elegance and minerality of a great Montlouis-sur-Loire white wine

The estate

Founded in 1989 in France, in the Loire Valley, Domaine François Chidaine was born from the passion of its eponymous founder, who started out with just four hectares. Today, François Chidaine, still owner and winemaker at the helm of the estate, oversees a vineyard of approximately 45 hectares spread across several appellations. A true pioneer, he steered his philosophy towards organic farming and biodynamics at a very early stage. The estate is particularly recognised for its innovative approach to regenerative agriculture, constantly seeking to enhance the authentic expression of its terroirs.

The vineyard

The vines devoted to this Montlouis-sur-Loire flourish on the southern bank of the river, growing on soils of clay-sand, flint clay and calcareous tuffeau. The estate places paramount importance on soil life by practising no-till farming to preserve the precious underground fungal networks. Permanent grassing and the maintenance of very low yields foster the vitality of this vineyard, whose vines have an average age of fifty years, with some reaching as much as eighty years old.

The vintage

The year 2024 was marked by particularly demanding weather conditions. February and March proved both very mild and extremely humid, setting the stage for a complex climate for the rest of the growing cycle. These climatic challenges required constant attention in the vineyards and rigorous sorting at harvest to gather only the healthiest and perfectly ripe berries.

Winemaking and ageing

The making of this Montlouis-sur-Loire 2024 relies on a low-intervention approach. After gentle whole-bunch pressing, fermentation begins spontaneously thanks to indigenous yeasts. It takes place slowly and gradually throughout the winter within the estate's cool tuffeau cellars. Ageing takes place on the lees, in stainless steel tanks, French oak barrels and half-muids. To preserve the grape variety's natural vivacity, malolactic fermentation is not carried out.

Grape variety

100% Chenin Blanc.