Thibaud Boudignon, 2023 Rosé de Loire
No.33 | What's In My Glass
Among most wine circles, Thibaud Boudignon does not need much of an introduction. Arguably one of the young talents to watch in Anjou, and more specifically Savennières, he is producing some of the region’s most compelling expressions of Chenin Blanc. While his white wines deservedly get all of the spotlight, Thibaud also makes an absolutely stunning Cabernet Franc rosé that has become part of my annual rosé purchases since I first tried it a handful of years ago.
Coming from select parcels of 30 to 40 year old vines in St-Lambert-du-Lattay and Lys-Haut-Layon, these Cabernet Franc vines take us to Anjou Noir country and the complex mosaic of terroirs of the Massif Armoricain. The vines are planted on rather shallow soils, with a sandy-clay topsoil of about 15 to 30cm, followed by layers of grey schist and rhyolite, a silica-rich volcanic rock.
This combination of shallow topsoil and schist bedrock is part of the reason why Cabernet Franc historically has struggled to ripen in western Anjou and thus was used quite extensively for rosé production. When there is no extended maceration of the skins and seeds, it is not necessary for Cabernet Franc to be picked at perfect ripeness for rosé. Moreover, because of the lack of water holding capacity of these soils, the Cabernet Franc berries from schistous soils tend to be smaller with a higher skin to juice ratio, which can make for a compelling rosé with a bit more intensity of colour, flavour and structure, even when made by direct press with little to no maceration time, which is the case with this rosé.
In the glass, the wine is very expressive and outright fruity, but in the most serious of ways. There is tons of depth of fruit character here. Notes of fresh strawberry, red currant, and blood orange mixed with the most welcome note of fresh rhubarb that adds this wonderful, snappy, vegetal backbone to the nose and palate. This overt fruitiness is nicely balanced by notes of English lavender layered with hibiscus tea (think: the sorrel drink served throughout the Caribbean around the holidays). The palate is plush and fleshy, with lively, mouth-watering acidity and a delicate, lacy tannin structure that helps to frame the middle palate. There is also a pleasant bitter tonic-like note similar to quinine and a flinty minerality on the palate that are providing a lovely sense of cut to the flesh and fruit at this stage in the wine’s life. A fleshiness, I should note, that I think will start to melt away in time to reveal a bit more of the wine’s structure and definition. Broad, generous, but with superb tension, depth and persistence, and while only medium-bodied, the wine has a certain gravitas and expansiveness that makes one sit up and take notice. A delicious, contemplative rosé that is a terrific introduction to Thibaud Boudignon’s philosophy for those that haven’t had the opportunity to try his range of impressive Chenin Blancs.