François describes 2010 as richer than 2008, but less so than 2009. The harvest needed careful management, holding pack the pickers during the rains, eventually letting go of the leash once the fruit had dried.

François Chidaine Montlouis Clos du Breuil 2010: The wine from Clos du Breuil is always vinified dry. This vintage has youthful apples and pears on the nose, light and lifted, with a perfumed pink-fleshed character. An attractive palate, fresh and rather juicy in style, with good fruit supported by a very attractive punchy style of acidity. Light, still showing some fermentation-related aromas and flavour though. All the same, supple, fresh and cleansing. Good. 16.5-17.5/20

François Chidaine Vouvray Les Argiles 2010: This is as always an assemblage of several parcels, the vines aged 40 years on average. Nose has a fresh, open, juicy yellow plum style of fruit. Wow - on the palate this is just beautiful, showing amazing acidity and freshness here, with great minerality and style to it. It has a powerfully broad, mouth-tingling substance. Just wonderful character here, but this is a very early taste in this wine's life; but if it keeps this vigour this will be a fabulous wine. 17-18/20

François Chidaine Montlouis Les Choisilles 2010: This cuvée usually includes fruit from Clos Renard and Les Epinais although these also give fruit to the moelleux cuvée when the vintage is suitable. Sweet still-fermenting apples and pears here, still clearly very youthful. A fine presence on the palate, with a very appealing gentle texture to the wine cut through by a precise, defined, crunchy-mineral acidity. Great minerality here. This could be delicious. 17-18/20

François Chidaine Montlouis Les Bournais 2010: Whether this cuvée is dry or sweet depends on the vintage. Substantial fruit on the nose here, it as still well defined though, and I find the same on the palate which shows substantial fruit quality, and texture too, but with a defined and bright acidity behind it. And there is a lovely mineral spice coming through at the end. Overall this is beautifully appealing and fresh. Again, huge potential here. 17-18/20

François Chidaine Montlouis Clos Habert Demi-Sec 2010: The soils here are limestone and clay, the vines 60-years old, and the wine usually a demi-sec. Fine, perfumed, bright and rather feminine apples and stone fruits on the nose for a start. The palate is lovely, fleshy and rich, with moderate acidity and a light minerality. An attractive style but the structural components are only just adequate for the residual sugar at present. It has a seductive character though. 16.5-17.5/20

François Chidaine Montlouis Les Tuffeaux 2010: This is a non-site specific cuvée, taking fruit from across all sites, usually gently sec tendre to demi-sec or thereabouts. A very polished, white stone feel to the nose here, with yellow-gold fruits, star fruit and white grapes rubbed over the top. A deliciously fleshy style on the palate, full and rich, but again the acidity is quite well hidden here although the mineral component does have a very fine, needle-like quality to it. Fresh, balanced, some light grip in the finish. Pretty and very appropriate for the vintage which I think is better suited to the sec style. Great mineral finish though. 16.5-17.5/20

François Chidaine Vouvray Le Bouchet 2010: This cuvée is generally sweet, demi-sec or moelleux, and is sourced from 50-year old vines on clay-limestone terroirs. A very distinct style on the nose here, showing strong fruit elements, with a slightly dried-fruit character. A lovely presence on the palate though, supple and polished, with the same gentle level of acids and minerals shown by the preceding demi-sec cuvées. Perhaps just a little more convincing here though. Yes, through the midpalate there is a greater lift and definition to it. If this is maintained this will be lovely. 17-18/20

François Chidaine Montlouis Moelleux 2010: Principally sourced from Clos Renard and Les Epinais, made when the vintage favours a moelleux cuvée. This embryonic wine has some bright yellow-gold fruit on the nose. It has a soft, sweet and golden character, with a very fine seam of minerality running through the very core of the wine, around a very appealing and polished layer of sweet crystalline fruit. This is much more convincing than the equivalent demi-sec, with a finer fruit purity and lovely acidity. A great, very convincing style, with vigorous acidity and minerals. 17.5-18.5/20

François Chidaine Vouvray Moelleux 2010: An assemblage from several sites, first produced in 2009; François says it is not yet named - a statement that clearly places it alongside Les Lys in the portfolio, a Vouvray equivalent. A fine density to the fruit here, concentrated and golden, very polished and pure. A solid style. This concentration comes through on the palate which shows a heady, mellifluous style. The acidity at first seems a little muted but in the midpalate it does come through nicely, although perhaps not the level of the Montlouis Moelleux tasted alongside. An attractive polished style, rich and yet elegant and well defined, just not with the tingling and exciting backbone that I would really like to see. 16.5-17.5/20

François says the 2009 was a very consistent vintage, one which unusually allowed him to produce the full range of Chidaine wines, right up to Les Lys.

François Chidaine Vouvray Les Argiles 2009: An assemblage of several parcels, the vines having an average age of 40 years. Residual sugar 5 g/l in this vintage, which was bottled earlier than usual in August 2010 and released in November the same year after the low-volume 2008 sold out. It has rather a honeyed, gently expressive style on the nose, with perfumed, polished and limestoney fruit. A lovely supple style on the palate, dry and with lovely balancing acidity. Supple in terms of fruit and texture and yet with a lovely acid and mineral core coming up at the finish. 17/20

François Chidaine Montlouis Clos du Breuil 2009: This cuvée is always vinified until dry; in this vintage it has 2 g/l residual sugar. Attractive and polished on the nose, with a soapy and minerally edge. Full of lemon zest, and very stylish and polished on the palate, with a sappy and tangible substance. Good grip and acidity coming through here, so there is still plenty of bite and structure to it, but it is the finely polished texture I find here that really draws me to this wine. Released in November 2010. 17/20

François Chidaine Vouvray Clos Baudoin 2009: A south-facing site, 3 hectares in size, with clay over limestone or tuffeau as it is known locally. This has a very restrained style, more of a stony feel to the nose, with little fruit expression. Certainly a very reserved character. Very dry and polished on entry, showing a lot of structure underneath here, and a grippy and powerful composition. Light fruit character like the nose, more of a liquid stone feel to it, very reserved but with a super substance to it, this is one for the cellar. Released in November 2010. 17.5/20

François Chidaine Montlouis Les Bournais 2009: Whether this cuvée is dry or sweet depends on the vintage. The vines are 15 years old, and François described the terroir here as more like Vouvray, without flint. In 2009 it shows a wonderful minerality on the nose, all crumbly volcanic rocks; this is very expressive. It has a lovely minerality here, a softer texture than 2008 and 2007, but still with a wonderfully vibrant acidity and minerality. This is definitely one of the better sec cuvées from François Chidaine in this vintage. It has an almost soapy character, but I still really like it. This should be great. 18/20

François Chidaine Montlouis Les Bournais Franc de Pied 2009: The same vineyard, but from a small selection of ungrafted vines which were first bottled as an independent cuvée in 2007. That vintage there were about 500 bottles, there are 800 in 2009. It became apparent as they planted the vines that this was an old parcel, as they found old vine roots in the soil, although none of the locals remember it being cultivated. The soils are clay with thin limestone. There are 2.5 hectares planted, with potential for 4 hectares in total. This has a lovely style, quite ethereal and lifted, on the palate very polished and substantial, but still with a fine acidity coming through. There is no analysis for residual sugar at present. The quality is very close, but this does seem to have a touch more substance and grip than the grafted version. An impressive wine. 18/20

François Chidaine Montlouis Les Choisilles 2009: Whether this cuvée is dry or sweet depends on the vintage. Here it is certainly less expressive than Les Bournais (either cuvée!), but still very appealing, with a clean soap-stone minerality, and this very clean style comes through on the palate which is very defined and linear, with clean edges. Note that there is a lot of substance and texture within here, though, followed by piles of grip at the finish. This is lovely. 18/20

François Chidaine Montlouis Clos Habert Demi-Sec 2009: The soils here are limestone and clay, the vines 60-years old, and the wine usually a demi-sec, with 12 g/l residual sugar in 2009. It has a beautifully perfumed character on the nose, lightly honeyed fruit, ethereal with nuances of acacia and beeswax. It is lifted and light-footed nevertheless. Very supple and polished on the palate, with a good grip at its core, showing lots of defining and freshening acidity, much-needed as this is a richer style than the fabulous 2008. Very attractive and direct with lovely fresh structure underneath. An impressive, cleansing finish and structure here too. 17.5/20

François Chidaine Montlouis Les Tuffeaux 2009: This is a non-site specific cuvée, taking fruit from across all sites, usually gently sec tendre to demi-sec or thereabouts, in the 2009 vintage it is firmly demi-sec with 17 g/l residual sugar. The nose reflects the terroir here, although note some fruit comes from more flinty soils! It has a very direct and straight-up style on the nose, but on the palate it surprises with a very fleshy, polished, honeyed, yellow plum character. Beautifully broad and seductive on the palate, with a very correct but elegant, well covered structure behind it all. This is really impressive and suggestive of a slightly higher residual than that written above. Beautifully balanced though. Excellent. 18/20

François Chidaine Vouvray Le Bouchet 2009: This cuvée is generally sweet, demi-sec or moelleux, and is sourced from 50-year old vines on clay-limestone terroirs; in 2009 it has 27 g/l residual sugar. Creamed yellow fruit on the nose, definitely softer and more seductive on first impression than some other 2009s. But there is a delightful minerality here too, soft and lightly volcanic in its feel. The palate matches this, showing a very sweet and honeyed character, with beautiful depth and breadth to it, but also with a very fine core of laser-like acidity and lots of mineral grip. The finish has a great, tangible substance. Superb wine. 18+/20

François Chidaine Montlouis Moelleux 2009: A blend of all the Montlouis vineyards, made when the vintage suits it. In this vintage the residual sugar comes in at 40 g/l. Not so expressive on the nose, with just a very light suggestion of honeyed fruit. The palate is very mellifluous, honeyed and flattering, with a sweet honeyed-crystalline character to the fruit, before the crunchy minerality cuts though it on the midpalate. Very appealing but this needs time to develop. Fine acid definition in the finish and an embryonic botrytis character suggests there will be wonderful development here. This should be very fine. 17.5/20

François Chidaine Montlouis Les Lys 2009: This is also a multi-site assemblage, made only in selected vintages - the last outing for this cuvée was in 2003. The residual sugar is 105 g/l. There are 1000 bottles. It has a deep, concentrated, golden style of fruit here, yet it remains light and ethereal. Again it does not seem so expressive. What the palate shows is a very broad depth of sweet and honeyed fruit, with a very broad, very concentrated style, certainly complex, with a good depth of structure from the botrytis. The acidity is there but this takes a back seat, although I think given time the crystalline structure of the fruit and the tangible grip will provide the necessary backbone. Impressive, but I don't find it to be streets ahead of the moelleux. 18/20

François Chidaine Vouvray Moelleux 2009: This is an assemblage from several sites, and this is its first vintage; François says it is not yet named - a statement that would seem to place it alongside Les Lys. The residual sugar of 135 g/l would seem to support this conclusion. There are just 500 bottles. Rather a feminine, perfumed minerality on the nose, although like the Montlouis wines not that expressive. Has some golden fruit character alongside this, But on the palate a very broad style, honeyed, with appealing minerality, balanced acidity, with a very defined finish and good length. Very good evolving golden-crystalline elements. 17.5+/20

I have left these two vintages, now nicely settled into bottle, in the order of tasting rather than separating out according to vintage. This should give some indication of how residual sugar ascends across the two appellations, and how the same cuvée (for Les Choisilles, Les Bournais and Le Bouchet) differs in the two vintages in terms of sweetness.

François Chidaine Montlouis Les Choisilles 2007: This cuvée usually includes fruit from Clos Renard and Les Epinais when the vintage does not favour the production of a moelleux. The vines are 30 to 90 years of age. Here I'm told the residual sugar is 3 g/l although I note that contradicts information provided last year. It is very expressive on the nose, with a good minerality to it, chalky-stony with a good lemony bite. There is that light honeyed-acacia note coming in here too. Despite this it is very firm and structured on the palate, with lots of grip and acid giving it a very certain bite, very dry, with lots of stony fruit with tinges of plum and lemon zest. Lots of minerality too. This is good, although perhaps just a little on the austere side. 17/20

François Chidaine Montlouis Les Bournais 2007: A clay-limestone terroir here, hence bournais, a name for this type of stone. This terroir is less common in Chidaine's portfolio than clay-flint. Whether this cuvée is dry or sweet depends on the vintage; it has 4.8 g/l in 2007. Quite a perfumed style on the nose, with a gentle and feminine character to it, and a rather soapstone note as well. Rather a light feel to the palate, lots of acidity here, and a less minerally character than Les Choisilles. Dry, structured, very correct, again challenging in its structure. A big show of lemony substance on the drying, sappy finish. Good but very forthright. 17/20 

François Chidaine Montlouis Les Choisilles 2008: This cuvée usually includes fruit from Clos Renard and Les Epinais when the vintage does not favour the production of a moelleux cuvée. The residual sugar is 6 g/l. A perfumed and lightly mineral style on the nose, with a chalky-lemony minerality. Good substance here, a little more flesh on the palate than the 2007. Good structure, very sappy and dry in the middle despite that fleshy start, with lots of acidity and minerality. Again quite a firmly structured, austere and challenging presence on the palate, with a firm stony finish. Very good. 17/20

François Chidaine Montlouis Les Bournais 2008: Whether this cuvée is dry or sweet depends on the vintage; as in 2007 it is towards the drier end although I do sense a little residual sugar here I think - although it is revealed to be just 3 g/l! Very open and expressive on the nose, with light stony fruit, stylish and seemingly more composed than some of the preceding wines. The palate seems to confirm this as there is a greater cushion of texture here to sit around the acidity and minerality. This is certainly my favourite of the four secs first poured. 17.5/20

François Chidaine Montlouis Les Bournais Franc de Pied 2008: The same vineyard, but from a small selection of ungrafted vines. This seems just that little bit brighter and more open than the grafted cuvée. It has an appealing substance, very stylish and polished, still with a stony substance to it but with character and a good sense of balance. In the finish there is a good structured polish to it. A very dry character again though. This cuvée just has the edge I think but it is very close - I certainly wouldn't like to separate them tasted blind! 17.5/20

François Chidaine Montlouis Les Tuffeaux 2007: This is a non-site specific cuvée, taking fruit from across all sites, usually gently sec tendre to demi-sec or thereabouts. The vines are 30 to 90 years old, the yield 43 hl/ha. In this vintage it is more demi-sec at 14.9 g/l residual sugar. All of a sudden the expression changes here, this wine is certainly more elegant, more polished, perfumed, floral and mineral. It has a lovely presence on the palate, supple and stylish, but still with a very defining minerality over the acidity coming through in the middle. Very appealing, still very long and aggressively structured and mineral though. 17/20

François Chidaine Vouvray Le Bouchet 2007: This cuvée is generally sweet, demi-sec or moelleux, and is sourced from 50 year-old vines on clay-limestone terroirs. I'm told it has 18 g/l residual sugar, although the figure provided last year was 15.8 g/l. Whichever it is it has a beautiful expression, showing a lightly honeyed character coming in over the minerality of the stone and light fruit freshness. A beautiful style on the palate, softer and more polished, still very stony and correct but here with a greater cushion from the texture, relating to that residual. Very correct and polished, a wine with lovely potential. 17.5/20

François Chidaine Montlouis Clos Habert Demi-Sec 2008: The soils here are limestone and clay, situated next to Clos du Breuil, the vines 50 to 70-years old, and the wine usually a demi-sec, with 15.5 g/l residual sugar here. It is difficult to taste this and be objective; I know I have always rated it very highly, and I have half a case in the cellar. It has a lovely honeyed style, showing great purity and also sweetness and elegance. The palate is perfectly balanced, sweet and honeyed, yet complex and minerally, but with a dried finish, elegant and fresh. What can I say? This remains as wonderful as it always has been. 18.5/20

François Chidaine Montlouis Les Tuffeaux 2008: This is a non-site specific cuvée, taking fruit from across all sites, usually gently sec tendre to demi-sec or thereabouts, in this vintage it is firmly demi-sec at 19 g/l residual sugar. A lovely purity here, on the nose a very mineral and expressive style, although it is subtle and approachable, and on the palate it has a very fine expression. Finely balanced, with great minerality too. Supple, poised and defined though. Somewhat tighter and more reserved than the Clos Habert. This is very good indeed. 18/20

François Chidaine Vouvray Le Bouchet 2008: This cuvée is generally sweet, demi-sec or moelleux, and is sourced from 50-year old vines on clay-limestone terroirs.  In this vintage it has 19 g/l residual sugar. Very fresh and open in terms of style, with a touch of aniseed and liquorice here, also fennel maybe. It has a lovely style, soft and supple, polished off with oak, although there is a fine substance and depth to it as well. There are polished and golden-honey fruits, giving the wine a very supple style, delicious and rather caressing. Underneath a fine core of acid. Impressive. 18/20