Why is Thibaud Boudignon’s Rosé de Loire our best selling pink wine of the last few years? It’s pretty simple actually: Thibaud makes an entirely authentic, terroir driven wine, from biodynamically farmed grapes, with natural methods and the same meticulous attention that he gives his top, tiny production cuvées. And yet this is still a rosé of enjoyment, energy, refreshment and yes, excellent value. For less than you pay for the most popular pink wines out there (you know, those adorned with cherubs or horses or what-have-you), Boudignon gives you a wine that tastes and feels great. Do not settle for industrial brands with clever marketing, stock up on a rosé honestly complex, honestly delicious, and just plain honest.
Thibaud Boudignon is a force to be reckoned with in the Loire Valley. He’s originally from Bordeaux, but doesn’t come from a winemaking family. He did eventually find a passion for wine, and went to school to learn viticulture and enology, after which he worked at Château Canon-La-Gaffelière in Saint-Émilion and then Château Lafite-Rothschild (perhaps you’ve heard of it). In 2007, he moved to the Loire Valley to take up the head winemaking position at Château Soucherie. Soucherie has in fact been a longtime mainstay at SommSelect, reliably turning out rock solid and value-loaded Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. But when Thibaud began his own side project in 2009 was when he gained global recognition.
Thibaud is located in the Chenin-based appellation of Savenièrres, a tiny town on the north side of the Loire river. The schist soils and relatively sunny microclimate here are perfect for producing bone dry whites, despite the fact that the village is surrounded by the Loire’s most iconic sweet wine appellations. Savennières is one of our favorite places in the Loire, but even we’ll admit that the wines can often tend toward the blowzy and alcoholic. Thibaud does something different here though. He turns out bottles that thrum with minerality and tensile energy while maintaining the generous fruit and approachability the region built its name on. His Chenin bottlings have become coveted and expensive must-haves for Loire fanatics, but his rosé remains gloriously affordable. And that same balance of thrilling tension and generous fruit that runs through his whites is present in his rosé as well.
The 2023 Rosé de Loire is 90% Cabernet Franc and 10% Grolleau, direct-pressed to stainless steel, where it ferments spontaneously. Malolactic was blocked and it aged for 4 months on its fine lees. It pours as vibrantly pale pink with flecks of silver, and the nose bursts with commingling red berry fruit and rocky minerality. Just-ripe raspberry, pomegranate, sour cherry, and strawberry sit alongside oyster shells, chalk, sea salt, and a hint of white flowers on the nose. The palate is lithe and light-bodied, yet deeply concentrated, the phenomenally vivid acidity and closing minerality the highlights. It’s a rosé begging to be drunk with abandon right now, yet it carries the complexity and structure that ensures it’ll age beautifully in the short term. We always say great rosé is best in its second spring, and that’s certainly the case here. I’ve been lucky enough to have some Boudignon rosé with age, and the beautiful Cabernet Franc spice tones begin to develop for a bottle that’s a fine reward for your patience. Thankfully, it’s so affordable, you can grab enough to carry you through until next year!
