Thibaud Boudignon - Savennières - Clos Devant le Jeu 2023
The Domaine Thibaud Boudignon has established itself in Anjou as one of the most precise signatures of Chenin Blanc, with an approach that combines viticultural rigor, parcel reading, and the pursuit of an almost crystalline purity. Established since 2009, Thibaud Boudignon has gradually built a heritage of remarkable clos vineyards around Savennières, favoring terroirs capable of producing deep, tense, and long saline wines. The Clos Devant le Jeu 2023 marks a new step in this trajectory, as it is the first vintage of this parcel cuvée. Located directly adjacent to the Clos de Frémine, this clos of about two hectares gently slopes down towards the Loire, surrounded by schist walls and wild hedges. The site combines a favorable sunny exposure, softer surface soils, and a schist bedrock that imparts tension and a smoky dimension to the wine. This cuvée thus expresses a new facet of the domaine, between the energy of young vines, the vitality of the terroir, and the ambition of a great Savennières.
The Thibaud Boudignon Savennières Clos Devant le Jeu 2023 is made from 100% Chenin Blanc, a grape variety that finds on the schists of Savennières an expression that is both powerful, straight, and deeply mineral. The clos, long left fallow before being replanted, was conceived as a true place of precision, with rootstocks adapted to dry and stony soils as well as massal selections mainly from the Clos de la Hutte. Despite the young age of the vines, the 2023 vintage already reveals an astonishing juice density, a sign of a terroir capable of producing wines of great dimension. The lighter superficial layer brings suppleness and brightness, while the schist bedrock structures the palate with a mineral, saline, and slightly smoky imprint. Thibaud Boudignon's style is found in this search for balance between breadth, tension, fruit maturity, and length. The wine does not seek opulence but a form of streamlined power, carried by the precision of Chenin and the depth of the place. This first vintage establishes itself as a very accomplished parcel Savennières, promising a beautiful evolution.
On tasting, the Clos Devant le Jeu 2023 reveals a luminous golden robe and a nose immediately marked by ripe Reinette apple, pear, quince, and citrus fruits. Aeration reveals nuances of mandarin, orange, apricot, bergamot, and clove, accompanied by a mineral framework evoking warm slate, pumice stone, and a smoky touch. On the palate, the wine impresses with its volume for young vines, with a broad, supple, and intensely vibrant texture. Flavors of white fruits, plum, lime, yuzu, clementine, and kumquat are carried by active freshness and fine mineral bitters. The finish, long, saline, and slightly empyreumatic, extends a sensation of purity and energy that characterizes the great Chenins of Savennières. This wine will magnificently accompany scallops, steamed langoustines, a noble fish with citrus, a sesame and tarragon sauce, or, after several years of aging, a lobster Armoricaine style. Its aging potential is significant, with possible evolution over about ten years and more under good cellar conditions.
Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
