WTN: Francois Chidaine Montlouis “Les Lys” 1989

For those not well acquainted with this maker/label, this is Chidaine’s “Moelleux” (very sweet) offering from vintages where conditions prevail for extended hanging of very ripe Loire Valley chenin blanc, sometimes attracting “noble rot” (botrytis affectation) to make luscious sweet white, most usually blessed with terrific counterbalancing acidity and a propensity to age for decades.

For a wine of so many years, the colour is drop-dead gorgeous - still only pale straw gold with bright yellow hues. The bouquet reeks of high class, quintessential sweet chenin - quince paste, pistachio, wool, baked apple, wax, honeysuckle, honey over a deepset melange of tropical fruit with an eerie chalky minerality as a top note. The palate, no less impressive with a line a to die for, perfect in weight with a bevy of sweet flavour as described above and beautifully matched by deftly-judged cleansing acidity followed by phenomenal carry. Balanced, poised and aristocratic from start to finish. A wine for the ages. Drink now - 2029+. 94 points.

thanks for note, sounds great. I'm a big Chidaine fan, but never had one older than mid90s that I can remember

I've been sitting on this wine for some considerable time, Dale. Previous openings (over many years) proved, until recently, almost a complete waste of wine/time. Incredibly angular, tight, out of balance and compared to this bottle, most disappointing. One of the benefits of a decent-sized cellar and a desire to research and learn, is to leave a wine like this for 20 plus years to finally get to enjoy it. I still have a few left for future consumption.

I've been sitting on this wine for some considerable time, Dale. Previous openings (over many years) proved, until recently, almost a complete waste of wine/time. Incredibly angular, tight, out of balance and compared to this bottle, most disappointing. One of the benefits of a decent-sized cellar and a desire to research and learn, is to leave a wine like this for 20 plus years to finally get to enjoy it. I still have a few left for future consumption.

That's interesting, David. François Chidaine must have been very young when he made that wine. He and his wife still look quite young, I guess fresh looking mid-40s at most. I think that he has since learned how to make his wines more approachable when young and he claims that they do not go into hard shut period unlike those of Foreau. 1989 was, of course, one of the two or three stellar Loire vintages in the second half of the 20th century. Lucky you having a few more left.