Another bottle opened tonight is very good. Just a bit of color, nothing oxidized, nice depth of fruit, good acidity, some nice complexity and hints of chalky minerality. A really good bottle.
Count me in among those who are not really sure about ageing the Choisilles. There was nothing really wrong with the ones I left to age (oldest was 11), except that in most vintages they seemed to evolve perhaps a little more quickly than I’d expected them to and not gain any notable new qualities in the process. I think I prefer the Choisilles on the young side (up to 5 or 6 years after the vintage). But it’s probably a moving target, as Chidaine has also been fine-tuning and refining his methods, so perhaps more recent, and future, vintages will have a different curve.
Tvrtko, I also don’t have long experience with any of the Chidaine wines, which is why I keep updating this thread as I open bottles. Probably agree with you that this (and other) wines are so good young that I’m not sure it’s worth the “risk” of aging them very long. As you say, it will be interesting to follow the wines as winemaking evolves through the vintages.
Just saw this and thought I would link back to my recent experience with it:
Tvrtko, I am curious about your post. You cite Choisilles in particular. Why this cuvee? Why not Clos Habert or Clos du Breuil? Please take my questions as sincere, as I am trying to understand, not be provocative of your opinion. I do own a # of Chidaine bottles, including some 2007 and 2008 that rest in my cellar so I have a curiosity here.
The answer is quite simple and prosaic. Choisilles was my favourite Chidaine wine back then (meaning, back when I first took note and drove over to Montlouis to visit and taste some twelve or so year ago, and for some years after). As a result, I bought much more of that than the other cuvees and I’ve had more bottles available to experiment with in terms of ageing. I came to the conlusion that in most vintages over this period I preferred the Choisilles three to five years out as opposed to, say, six to twelve years out. This is, of course, a bit of a generalisation and also very much a matter of taste.
(With hindsight, although based on a more limited sample, I do believe that Habert and Breuil might be better propositions for ageing, but, please, don’t quote me on that 
)
Wow. Opened the 2008 Choisilles tonight. I’d say the best white I have drank in 2017 so far. Super. Electric, balanced and tastes like something that was bottled last year, not nearly 10 years ago. This bottle is why I drink Chidaine.
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2008 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Choisilles - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire (5/21/2017)
god, is this good. The acidity here remains electric, with lemon through the finish. Honeyed edges, with green apple, saline and nectarine. Gorgeous. This is a 2008, and it’s drinking like it was just put to bottle. No oxidation here, no fade, just perfect.
Posted from CellarTracker
Found one in my small home stash, what better to open in celebration of a Warriors championship:
2008 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Choisilles - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire (6/13/2017)
FMIII got me to try one of these with his latest rave note: Just a bit of medium light hay color; beautiful fresh floral fruit nose, leads into a nearly perfect balance of deliciously elegant fruit, velvet acidity, hints of limestone minerality. There’s a nice brace of white peach flavor on the mid-palate. A great combination of complex flavors, while staying light and airy. If a spring cloud could be wine, this would be it.
Alan…nice! This is a helluva wine.