Domaine François Chidaine Montlouis Clos du Breuil 2022

Chidaine’s Clos du Breuil is a Montlouis treasure: a single, three-hectare site, sloping towards the Loire River. This parcel is home to some of Chidaine’s oldest vines, up to 90 years old; the average age is 50 years old. A flint stone’s throw from Clos Habert, Clos du Breuil rests on one of the highest points in the appellation. The soil is clay and coarse flint over a subsoil of limestone – the type known to the locals as les Perruches. Chidaine’s vines are spread across several plots: the fruit is hand harvested with several ‘tris’ or passes through the vineyard.  It ferments naturally in 620-litre demi-muids over a period of up to 11 months. It's a powerful Clos du Breuil but still tightly wound with buoyant, pillow-soft texture and succulent quince-tinged fruits interwoven with a salty minerality that lingers on the finish. So pure, filigreed and focused.