Loire Legend Thibaud Boudignon's New 2023 and 2024 Releases

Over the past decade, Thibaud Boudignon has established himself as one of France’s most exciting and exacting vignerons, playing a pivotal role in the modern revival of Savennières. His influence on Chenin Blanc draws inevitable comparison with what Didier Dagueneau achieved for Sauvignon Blanc in Pouilly-Fumé.

The focus is firmly rooted in terroir. Yields are kept deliberately low and harvesting is carried out with meticulous selections to ensure only pristine fruit is used. Fermentation and ageing take place in a mix of demi-muids and foudres, with a modest proportion of new oak. The resulting wines are measured and tension-driven, defined by purity and mineral precision – a marked contrast to the broader, more muscular expressions historically associated with the region.

This year sees the release of the 2023 single-vineyard cuvées. Collectively, they offer a gentler, more lifted expression, with delicate flesh balanced by the bone-dry mineral structure that so clearly defines Boudignon. The wines favour clarity and fine salinity over weight, revealing notes of citrus and pale stone fruit in varying degrees according to site. Stylistically, they sit between the cooler, more classical 2021s and the broader, more powerful 2022s. Immediately compelling yet deeply complex, they remain unmistakably true to the domaine’s identity.

As ever, these remain striking, age-worthy cuvées, increasingly sought after by serious collectors and some of the world’s leading restaurants alike. Quantities are limited, and the single-vineyard bottlings typically sell through on release.

This year also marks the inaugural release of Clos Devant Le Jeu, a 2.5-hectare vineyard planted in 2019, lying adjacent to Clos de Frémine on warm, south-facing slopes with notably shallow, schist-dominant soils lightly threaded with sand. Stylistically it sits between the lifted aromatic expression of Clos de Frémine and the broader more powerful Clos de la Hutte.

To learn more about the individual wines and view our full tasting notes, please follow the link below.

Please note that Thibaud has chosen to hold back the Clos de Frémine 2024 for an additional year of ageing.