TN: 2015 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Choisilles

[Frank_Murray_III]

Hey David, it’s easy to misread posts when the people are unknown to each other. I appreciate that you read the TNs I share and that they help give some perspective. Nice to meet you.

Alan, why don’t you drive another bottle and post back? Maybe take one to an offline and see what others think?

[DougS]

Thanks for all of the discussion, guys. It sounds like he might have harvested for this cuvee fairly early to preserve acidity and that citrusy profile. In general, I see '15 as a fairly ripe vintage in the Loire. I’ve still been happily drinking the 2014 (because it’s fantastic and seems to be even better than when it first arrived), but I’ll have to give a '15 a try soon.

[Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m]

@Loren Sonkin

Frank, your note is just why I like to see points. That notes could easily be anywhere between a FM85 and a FM94 as i read it. I can’t tell if you liked this, and if so how much. How did it compare to the original post? I buy Chidaine but have not yet for 15 and would value your opinion. I am not trying to be picky or smart, i really would like to know your thoughts before buying. Thanks.

Interesting. I bought this wine yesterday, and did so primarily on the strength of Frank’s note (he’s one of my CT “favorite tasters”). I took this note as a positive one … will be interesting to scroll back through this thread after submitting this reply to see if I interpreted correctly!

[Loren_Sonkin]

@Frank Murray III

I liked this 2015, to help eliminate any confusion and looking back at my TNs on both the 2008 and 2010, I do think 2015 is more aligned to how I wrote up the 2008 when I last tried it in 2015. The 2010 is a richer version of Choisilles and so the 2015 expresses itself very similar to the lemon notes and energy of the 2008, IMO.

In fact, I found a savory quality in 2015 last night that I didn’t mention in my TN. The saline, slate, lemony thing, could almost be Sancerre, no? The light stone fruit and apple, plus the honey give this a Chenin feel but in total, the 2015 is just going to be a more lasered version of Choisilles, which I do like, and I don’t regret buying the 5 bottles that I did last year.

Thanks. Very helpful.

[P_Intag]

I had a similar experience as the original poster with the 2015 Les Argiles. Maybe not a great vintage for Chidaine?

• 2015 François Chidaine Vouvray Sec Les Argiles - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (2/11/2017)
  A little bit of a flinty nose with a hint of unripened peach. On the palate, somewhat viscous and slightly heavy with flint and steel plus some tropical fruit. Not quite hollow but not as full-flavored as one would expect given the weight. “Dilute” (from a previous note) is probably a good characterization. I really was expecting some acidic lift at the mid-palate, but it never materialized and came across as a bit on the flabby side. Still, and interesting white with nice complex flavors but not quite reaching expectations (based on reputation, as I have no experience with this wine and not much with Vouvray in general). (88 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

[Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m]

2015 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Choisilles - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire (5/6/2017)
Popped and poured at a friend’s birthday dinner. Didn’t pay close-enough attention to write a proper TN. I did enjoy this quite a lot, however. Probably a 90 - 91 point wine for me. Medium+ to high acidity. Plenty of mineral with tangy fruit providing a solid framework. Alc. not noticeable. Should buy another bottle for a closer look.

[CJ_Beazley]

@Alan Rath

2015 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Choisilles - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire (1/19/2017)
Light honey gold in color, nose is pretty shy, hints of floral fruit; not quite what I was expecting from the warmer 2015 vintage, showing just moderate depth and intensity, with a noticeable tartness, and missing the fireworks and length of the best vintages (14, 10, and 08). I can’t help but think this was picked fairly early, to avoid becoming overripe in the warmth, yielding fruit that just never fully developed the intensity and complexity of flavor this bottling is capable of. It’s not raw and unformed, as the 2011 was, just underwhelming. (87 pts.)

Should have slow-oxed it…

[Alan_Rath]

@CJ Beazley

Should have slow-oxed it…

[DougS]

I finally tried the '15 recently. It was only a couple of nights after having the '14, so I had good context on my experience. While I do prefer the '14 (it’s ridiculously good, reminiscent of the '10 to me in quality and style), I thought the '15 was also really good. Maybe the '15 is suffering from coming right after such a great vintage as '14, but I’m very happy with both. I did find plenty of depth and complexity in the '15, for me, even if I agree it’s not quite on the level of great recent vintages like '14 and '10. For my taste, Chidaine makes impressive wines pretty much every year. Sometimes they’re impressive simply in the context of the vintage (with more challenging vintages), but usually I need no qualifier.

[Frank_Murray_III]

Figured I would get on board, as I had not any of the 15 Breuil open yet. Found this one with on a retail shelf, priced well too at $29.

• 2015 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Clos du Breuil - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire (8/11/2017)
  Opened and poured right to glass for this note. Lime skin, apricot, light honey, brisk pineapple with a tart core and finishing saline. Thus mineral/saline quality is persistent into the finish.

Posted from CellarTracker

This is refreshing, leaner toned and lacking some of the depth of the best years for Breuil.

[Alan_Rath]

Frank, man we’re in the Chidaine Twilight Zone! Did you see my note for the Breuil? It’s like we had inverse reactions to the Choisilles and Breuil. Seems like I found the Breuil more appealing than the Choisilles (or at least more like what I expected from the vintage), and you the reverse.

[Frank_Murray_III]

Actually, we’re not. It helps when people like me put the correct note into a thread that is discussing the same wine. I accidentally posted on the Breuil, which like you, I really dug (and I have another 1/2 of the bottle to get through during my grandson’s 2 year old birthday party later ). I put the Breuil TN in the other thread.

On the Choisilles I believe I like it a little more than you. To keep everything straight here, I put my Choisilles note below. BTW, am I correct to remember that the 2016s are severely affected (or worse) because of the harvest weather that year?

• 2015 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Choisilles - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire (2/6/2017)
  Adding to the short chorus of notes to date, this is the first bottle opened of the handful I bought. I buy this cuvee every year, regardless of the vintage because I appreciate the producer’s style, their approach to the environment, and of course, the way the wines taste–delicious. Opened this last night, drank about 1/2 with my wife and the ABV must be well in check here as I didn’t feel much of it, which is another reason why I like these wines. Aromatically, showing apple and slate. Same slate in the core of the wine, with a lemony profile and as Alan said in his TN, quite a bit of tartness that pokes all the way through into the finish. And, a grapefruit note too, akin to the citrus of the lemon, I suppose. Apricot, saline and green apple close the flavors, along with the lemon and a lighter texture of honey. This vintage of Choisilles is distinctly noted by acidity, and in ratio to the fruit component, far exceeding it. I actually don’t mind seeing some vintage variation, and the acidity here is delicious, something I want to see in my Chenin.

Posted from CellarTracker

[Robert_Panzer]

There is no breuil or choisilles in '16. 90% losses due to spring frost.
There will be a small amount of Bournais and Baudoin '16…I am curious about the quality, as with such minuscule yields and a great end of season, it could be very interesting.
To survive, he bought organic Chenin from Limoux to sell under his negociant label, that likely none of the geeks here will buy…
I do not envy wine growers one bit in their sense of perpetual risk. In my experience, the embarrassment of choices for the consumer will find them looking elsewhere when you are down. You may be celebrated one minute, and forgotten the next…

[DougS]

That’s very sad. I hope the purchased fruit provides him a reasonable amount of income to get through the year.

[Russ_Williams]

@Robert Panzer

There is no breuil or choisilles in '16. 90% losses due to spring frost.
There will be a small amount of Bournais and Baudoin '16…I am curious about the quality, as with such minuscule yields and a great end of season, it could be very interesting.
To survive, he bought organic Chenin from Limoux to sell under his negociant label, that likely none of the geeks here will buy…
I do not envy wine growers one bit in their sense of perpetual risk. In my experience, the embarrassment of choices for the consumer will find them looking elsewhere when you are down. You may be celebrated one minute, and forgotten the next…

In my experience this is true in any line of business. Yes, wine growers and makers are at the mercy of the weather gods, but all businesses face challenges and are at perpetual risk.

[Chris_Kissack]

Expect to see from Francois in 2016 the cuvées already mentioned, the Clos Baudoin and Les Bournais, but also two sweet wines, a Vouvray Moelleux and a Montlouis Moelleux. I liked the wines when I tasted them, but this was back in February, and they were still carrying a lot of sugar that still needed to be fermented out, so they were pretty embryonic.

The Vin de France made using Limoux fruit is pretty smart, not the equal of his Montlouis cuvées by any means, but if you are familiar with the richer style of Chenin from Limoux this has more tension and acidity than you will be expecting, It felt like a halfway house between Limoux and the Loire.

[Jeff_Vaughan]

@Robert Panzer

There is no breuil or choisilles in '16. 90% losses due to spring frost.
There will be a small amount of Bournais and Baudoin '16…I am curious about the quality, as with such minuscule yields and a great end of season, it could be very interesting.
To survive, he bought organic Chenin from Limoux to sell under his negociant label, that likely none of the geeks here will buy…
I do not envy wine growers one bit in their sense of perpetual risk. In my experience, the embarrassment of choices for the consumer will find them looking elsewhere when you are down. You may be celebrated one minute, and forgotten the next…

Bummer. I had a 2014 Breuil last night that was delicious. I didn’t buy enough.