2016 Anjou Blanc 'a Francoise..'

From different plots and dedicated to his mother Françoise (who died when Thibaud was 17 years old) and to his grandfather François, Boudignon's 2016 Anjou Blanc à François(e) comes from volcanic terroir that delivers powerful wines with an intense minerality. Thibaud doesn't accept any compromises here and uses nothing but the free-run must, and he reduced the oak influence a bit in his 2017 (whose promising sample I remember as very clear, pure, fresh, linear, mineral and structured by fine tannins and finishing long and salivating) compared to the 2016. "Francois(e) is the wine that makes me want to wake up every morning just to produce it." The 2016 shows a very pure and mineral nose that is as intense and crunchy as broken slate. Very intense, crystalline and fresh on the palate, this is a pure, linear, very elegant and mineral-driven Chenin with a vertical character and lots of salt on the endless finish that is carried by highly refined acidity. This wine intertwines ripe apricot aromas with crunchy slate and lingering salinity.