Incorporating the former Poniatowski estate's oldest (70 year) vines and traditionally its signature wine, the 2009 Vouvray sec Clos Baudoin - which, like the corresponding 'Les Argiles' might, Chidaine says, be labeled 'sec' to clarify its style - successfully integrates citrus rind and pip and fruit pit bitterness as well as adamant chalkiness into a palpably dense and as yet at best in small part scrutable matrix. This Chenin carved from stone nevertheless evinces a succulence of quince, grapefruit, and pineapple that anticipates harmonious richness for a decade or more. It finishes with implacable persistence. Will the ostensibly lesser Les Argiles blend retain the edge in quality in 2009 thanks to its cooler, more water-retentive soils of origin? Certainly both will merit following and welcome comparisons over the coming decade if not beyond.

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