2020 Francois Chidaine Clos de la Grange Touraine Sauvignon 750 ml

The Loire Valley is the holy land of Sauvignon Blanc, and François Chidaine is one of its stars. His Clos de la Grange Sauvignon Blanc—a Sancerre look-alike that delivers a laser beam of minerality on pretty stone-fruit—is an incredible value.

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate has called François “one of the world’s finest craftsmen of white wine” and “a continuing source of amazing value,” and Chidaine’s wines remain a recurring favorite of The New York Times’ famously reserved wine critic, Eric Asimov, who has called him “an excellent producer” and his wines “superb.”

The 2020 Clos de la Grange stands toe-to-toe with many $30 bottles from Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. Super-crisp and mineral-driven, the vibrant, lemony palate evolves to show even more mineral complexity over time, culminating in a brilliantly clean, mouthwatering finish that begs for the next sip.

Southwest of Paris, Touraine’s soils are an enviable mix of flint and clay grown on a bedrock of tuffeau limestone. Chidaine has farmed his great vineyards biodynamically since 1999 (long before it was hip), and his ultra-low yields and hands-off approach in the cellar always result in wines of staggering texture and terroir-driven complexity.

It gives you an idea of Chidaine’s standing in the Loire that when Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau—the son of the late Loire superstar Didier Dagueneau—wanted to gain experience as a young winemaker, he went to work with Chidaine. Benjamin now makes his father’s famous ($150+) Silex Pouilly-Fumé, arguably the most coveted Sauvignon Blanc on earth. 

Chidaine started farming grapes in the Loire as a young boy, and took over for his father in 1989. The experience that he’s acquired is on full display in this excellent bottle.