Thibaud Boudignon, Clos de la Hutte Savennières 2022

In Clos de la Hutte, Thibaud has set about bringing one of the region’s finest vineyards back to prominence, a vineyard on a par with Coulee de Sérrant and Roche aux Moines. Sitting on pure schist, planted to a diverse selection of different Chenin Blanc clones, it offers huge complexity and power but also remarkable finesse and harmony. It is, “The tiger that stokes” as Thibaud puts it, and with a yield of just 1000 bottles, it is a rare beast indeed. A new cellar, built in 2016, adjacent to Clos de la Hutte, has given Thibaud a whole new level of precision to his winemaking. Ageing takes place in a mixture of 350, 600 and 1200lt barrels, with less and less new oak being employed across the range. The results are thrilling, age-worthy Chenin Blancs beloved by sommeliers around the world; at the last count Thibaud Boudignon wines were found on no less than 19 of France’s three Michelin restaurants….