Thibaud Boudignon, the saviour of Savennières
Thibaud built his reputation around the world with a string of steely releases, and is now held up as one of the most sought-after producers in the whole of the Loire. If ever a man could be said to be doing to Anjou what Didier Dagueneau did for Sauvignon Blanc, Thibaud is that man.
Back in 2011
we got wind of a young wine grower doing very interesting things in Anjou and
Savennières. His name came to us via a diverse range of contacts, all of whom
happened to work at stellar domaines. Originally from Bordeaux, Thibaud spent
time working at Château Olivier, before honing his skills at Philippe Charlopin
in the Côte de Nuits. Buying land in Anjou, renting one vineyard in
Savennières, he built his reputation around the world with a string of steely
releases, and is now held up as one of the most sought-after producers in the
whole of the Loire. If ever a man could be said to be doing to Anjou what
Didier Dagueneau did for Sauvignon Blanc, Thibaud is that man. His
original Savennières, Les Fougerais, is no longer, and in its stead come three,
soon to be four, single vineyard cuvées that are set to secure Thibaud’s place
as the leading light in this historic appellation too. From these
historically significant vineyards Thibaud is now crafting strikingly
individual wines; Chenin Blancs of rare clarity and incision. Vignes Fremine,
planted just below the winery in Poisonnière produces the most floral, delicate, aromatic cuvée, though
one with a subtle and surprising line of steel running through it. Vignes
Cendreés comes from the
village of Savennières
itself where the greater clay content in the soils produces the most Burgundian
wine in the line-up, muscled Chenin with a plump midriff of fruit around
intense acidity and concentrated minerality. In Clos de la Hutte, Thibaud has
set about bringing one of the region’s finest vineyards back to prominence, a
vineyard on a par with Coulee de Sérrant and Roche aux Moines. Sitting on pure schist, planted
to a diverse selection of different Chenin Blanc clones, it offers huge
complexity and power but also remarkable finesse and harmony. It is, “The tiger
that stokes” as Thibaud puts it, and with a yield of just 1000 bottles, it is a
rare beast indeed. A new cellar, built in 2016, adjacent to Clos de la Hutte,
has given Thibaud a whole new level of precision to his winemaking.
Ageing takes place in a mixture of 350, 600 and 1200lt barrels, with less and
less new oak being employed across the range. The results are thrilling,
age-worthy Chenin Blancs beloved by sommeliers around the world; at the last count
Thibaud Boudignon wines were found on no less than 19 of France’s three
Michelin restaurants….
Click here to view our exquisite selection of Thibaud Boudignon wines.