This is the 2nd time I have tried this wine. On the first occasion, while I liked it very much, I found it a bit tight and somewhat deficient, (at least for a top tier Vouvray), in complexity. Well, what a difference a two hour decant makes! This time it was wide open and stunning with honey, quince, lime, lanolin and pineapple flavors. On the finish this wine was mouthwatering with a prominent orange rind note. While slightly less complex then I would have hoped, this is easily the best Vouvray I have had from the 2007 vintage. I don’t know if this will live as long as the likes of Huet and Foreau, but at this early stage, it as good as any Sec I have ever had from either of them. (It should be noted that I haven’t had a huge number of either producers wine). Chidaine seems to have an uncanny ability to coax a beautiful texture out of a wine. This costs $23.00 a bottle and is absurdly cheap given it’s high level of quality. Viva La Vouvray! 
If you like this, you should try something of his from Mont Louis. He makes easily the best wines out there from Mont Louis &, in my opinion, surpass his Vouvrays.
Thanks for the TN. I’m a fan of his Montlouis (Breuil, Clos Habert) but haven’t tried his Vouvs. Francois Pinon (silex and tradition) seems to be quite competititive around that same pricepoint.
RT
I also love what Chidaine produces. Unfortunately, my local distributor (Petit Pois Corp., who supply Moore Bros. retail stores in DE, NJ and NY), no longer are the importer for Chidaine.
IIRC, Chidaine got irritated at some of the details of the transaction when he acquired the vineyards from Poniatowski.
Love his Montlouis bottlings! I am not sure I would say that they are better then his Vouvrays but, in my lmited experience, they are definately more approachable in their youth. I would like to compare them at age 10 before making such a statement. I was suprised by how lean this wine was in comparison to his Montlouis offerings. I haven’t had any 07 Montlouis yet, so maybe that’s just a product of the vintage as opposed to a difference in terroir.
It’s not an apples to apples comparison with Pinon, (who I agree makes outstanding Vouvray), because the wines you mention are both Demi-Sec in style. If you like dry Vouvray, it simply doesn’t get much better then this. This wine is priced within a dollar of the Champalou Sec at my local wine Shop. IMHO, this is a much more serious bottle then that one.
It was a tedious process.
The wine Chidaine makes from the Poniatowski property is the Vouvray Clos Baudoin. It is widely thought of as one of the finest sites in Vouvray. It will take him years to get the vines growing the way he wants. It was not well tended by the previous owner.
The best site of his in Montlouis is the les Bournais. It can be stunning.
That said, I think that Francois Chidaine is a very talented vigneron and all his wines are at least good.
Thanks for the clarification Scott. It seems Vouvray labeling can be tricky with respect to sweetness (i.e.: not the Huet Haut Lieu Sec - which clearly indicates it). Some bottlings seem to vary based on vintage (i.e.: Chidaine Les Bournais). Chidaine Argiles is consistently sec? It’s a lot for a consumer to have to know!
RT
Richard, yes Les Argiles is always intended to be a sec wine. It is my understanding that all his bottlings are supposed to be consistent in style every year. That said, Chidaine isn’t the type to nail a square peg into a round whole. Most years his wines will be styled very similarly but in super ripe vintages, it may be difficult to make classic sec for example. Peter Liem wrote up an excellent description of Chidaines various vineyard holdings on his blog. I have it bookmarked on another computer and I will post it next time I fire it up.
I think the reason more producers don’t list the various designations on the bottle is the rather rigid AOC rules defining them. Pinon would on occasion have to label the Tradition a Moelleux, which would be a silly descriptor of that wine as it typically has only a slight suggestion of sweetness. I agree that it can be confusing trying to learn and remember all of a given producers styles but there are really only a handful of Vouvray producers whose wines are even worth drinking. (Most of the appellation, quite unfortunately, is devoted to inexpensive and underripe, cash crop industrial sparklers). You really only have to learn about a half dozen or so producers. It is worth the effort in my view.
Here is the link to Peter Liems style descriptions of Chidaines wines:
http://www.peterliem.com/2008/02/franois-chidaine-montlouis-sur-loire.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Thanks for the link. I like Peter’s work. There was a Loire blog (in english) done years ago that had very nice detail and TNs, but I’ve lost track of it. There were supposed to be a couple of more recent updates. Do you know it?
Chidaine, Foreau, Huet, Pinon…the others?
RT
Are you talking about Jim’s Loire perhaps? jimsloire.blogspot.com
The producers worth following in Vouvray:
Foreau
Huet
Chidaine
Pinon
Jacky Blot (taille aux loups)
Champalou
Aubuisieres
I have heard that Fontainairie, Guadrelle, and D’Orleans make good wine as well but I have never seen their wines locally.
Domaine Pichot (Domaine de le Peu de la Morriette) and Marc Bredif make easy drinking wines that are impossible to dislike but aren’t all that serious. I try them every year but never expext greatness from them. Supposedly, Bredif makes outstanding sweet wines but I have no first hand knowledge of that. Pichot seems to have no house style and his wines are radically different from vintage to vintage.
The ubiquitous wines from Monmousseau, Barton and Gustier, and Chateau Moncontour are best avoided altogether. Barton and Gustier is especially dreadful.