Place: Saumur – Loire Valley, FRA

Variety: Chenin Blanc

Farming: Biodynamic

The producer

Whilst the Hardouin family has been present in Varrains since 1783 and Mickael Hardouin has been making very good wines since 2007 from their exceptionally placed vineyards, the story of Clos Maurice as we now know it is a very new one.

In 2017 Nicolas Reau began a partnership with the domaine, immediately changing the farming and winemaking practices. The results three years on are spectacular. 

Biodynamic farming is undertaken, and vinification is conducted with an extremely hands off approach. Fermentation for most cuvees occurs in cement or steel and sulphur is only added to the rose. 

Purity of fruit and racy texture are the hallmark here, resonating with great energy and a remarkable sense of place.

The wine

Possibly (probably) one of the best chenin blancs we have drunk in a long while. From clay-limestone soils, it is hand-picked then meticulously sorted before pressing. Raised in large oak and held on lees for almost a year, it is layered, cut fresh by bristling acidity and wanting of air and time to fully unfurl.