2018 François Chidaine Vin de France (Vouvray) Moelleux

Chidaine does not release a Moelleux from his Vouvray vineyards every year—the balance has to be just so—and so you can be sure that when he does it is worth seeking out. It's drawn from the clay-limestone vineyards (of Le Bouchet, L’Espagnole, L’Homme, La Chatterie et al.) and made in the same fashion as Les Tuffeaux. As we have seen chez Huet, 2018 was a stunning year for sweeter styles of Chenin Blanc and here the song remains the same. The residual finished in the 20 to 30 g/L range, yet you wouldn’t pick it; the weightlessness and energy here make the wine seem like a ripe and luscious, yet almost-dry white. It’s an utterly gorgeous release that echoes the feather-light balance and thrilling delicacy of a great German Riesling. A light whose name is splendour. As with all of Chidaine's wines from Vouvray (since 2014), it is labelled as a Vin de France, for the same reason as Les Argiles (this wine is 100% from Vouvray but it was fermented and aged across the river in Montlouis).