The 2020 Domaine François Chidaine Montlouis Rive Gauche is a profound and beautifully balanced sweet Chenin Blanc from one of the Loire Valley’s benchmark biodynamic producers. Produced only in rare vintages where fully botrytised fruit can be harvested in Montlouis-sur-Loire, the wine is crafted from old-vine Chenin Blanc grown on clay-siliceous soils over limestone and tuffeau subsoils. The 2020 vintage combined richness with remarkable freshness, resulting in a wine of extraordinary concentration and tension. The nose reveals apricot, quince and preserved lemon layered alongside honey, exotic fruits, chamomile and delicate mineral notes, giving the wine exceptional complexity and lift.
On the palate, it is medium to full-bodied with vibrant natural acidity, silky texture and a deeply focused mineral core. Layers of botrytised orchard fruit, citrus oil and honeyed spice are balanced by remarkable freshness and chalky tension, finishing long, poised and beautifully persistent with extraordinary precision and ageing potential. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured on lees in demi-muids, the wine retains crystalline purity despite its richness, with residual sugar around 100 g/L carried effortlessly by acidity and mineral structure.
Ben’s Recommendation:
The 2020 Domaine François Chidaine Montlouis Rive Gauche is a world-class Loire sweet wine — layered, vibrant and beautifully refined with extraordinary balance and longevity. Perfect with blue cheese, foie gras, spiced shellfish, fruit-based desserts or simply enjoyed on its own as a contemplative wine. Enjoy now or cellar gracefully through 2050+.
