Thibaud Boudignon - Savennières - Clos de la Hutte 2023
Thibaud Boudignon marks with the Clos de la Hutte 2023 one of the most foundational wines in his history in Anjou. It is on this Savennières vineyard, planted in 2011 and entirely surrounded by schist walls, that much of the estate's identity has been shaped. Established since 2009, Thibaud Boudignon has built his reputation on an extremely precise interpretation of Chenin Blanc, with dry wines of remarkable purity, tension, and depth. The Clos de la Hutte holds a central place in this trajectory, both as a place of origin, a massal selection laboratory, and an emblematic plot of his approach. The schist bedrock, very close to the surface, imparts an intense mineral imprint on the wine, while the fine clays and sandy dimension of the soils bring body, suppleness, and great aromatic finesse. Certified organic since 2019, the estate cultivates this terroir with rare rigor, seeking harmony between soil vitality, fruit precision, and expression of place.
Clos de la Hutte 2023 is made from 100% Chenin Blanc, a grape variety that finds here a particularly upright, saline, and spicy expression. The vines root in a terroir with very present schists, with outcropping rock that strongly structures the wine's personality. The vineyard, a little over two and a half hectares according to sources, was conceived as an island of precision, where massal selections are observed and adjusted according to their adaptation to the place. This plant diversity allows working on nuances of texture, acidity, maturity, and aromas within the plot itself. The 2023 vintage offers a remarkable balance here, between fruit maturity, mineral tension, and structuring freshness. The style remains faithful to Thibaud Boudignon's signature, with aging seeking to accompany the matter rather than impose a dominant woody imprint. This Clos de la Hutte 2023 asserts itself as a Savennières of great precision, sober in its immediate expression but deeply crafted for aging.
On tasting, the Clos de la Hutte 2023 first reveals a tight nose, marked by smoky, almost peaty notes, evoking hot stone, schist, and a distant wood fire. Aeration gradually reveals nuances of citron, lime, mandarin, bergamot, then more vegetal and noble touches around dill, sage, arnica, and licorice. On the palate, the attack is straight, precise, without demonstrative effect, with a very fine mouthfeel. The matter unfolds slowly, carried by flavors of peach pit, apricot, citrus, and a saline tension that verticalizes the whole. The finish is long, pure, and mineral, with a sensation of rock water, noble bitterness, citrus zest, chlorophyll, and licorice. This great Savennières will ideally accompany a roasted turbot with a lightly smoky short jus, white asparagus with lemon mousseline sauce, a noble herb fish, or, after a few years in the cellar, a seafood paella. Its aging potential is significant, and several years of rest will allow its smoky depth, salinity, and aromatic complexity to blend with even more elegance.
Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
