Domaine Thibaud Boudignon Anjou Blanc 2024

A former judo champion who gave up competition to chase precision in Chenin Blanc instead — this Anjou Blanc is his case for dry, mineral-driven Loire whites over the region's sweeter reputation.

Grape Varietals & Region: 100% Chenin Blanc, hand-harvested from Thibaud Boudignon's organically farmed parcels in Anjou, in the Loire Valley — vineyards chosen and worked with the same obsessive attention Boudignon once brought to judo.

Taste Profile: Pear, apple and lemon lead on the nose, joined by orange blossom, jasmine and stone fruit; the palate is medium-bodied, racy and high in acid, with fresh citrus and orchard fruit carried by a fine, tense minerality through a long finish.

Winemaking Process: Hand-harvested fruit is destemmed and gently pressed, then fermented and matured across a combination of steel and oak — enough wood contact to add texture without ever blurring the wine's precision.

Winemaker: Originally a competitive judoka from Bordeaux, Thibaud Boudignon trained at Château Olivier and under Philippe Charlopin in Burgundy before running Savennières producer Château Soucherie, where he first farmed organically. He launched his own domaine in 2009 with just a few hectares, and has since become one of the most acclaimed names in the Loire for dry, chiselled Chenin Blanc.