Thibaud Boudignon, 2023 Rosé de Loire

No.33 | What's In My Glass

Among most wine circles, Thibaud Boudignon does not need much of an introduction. Arguably one of the young talents to watch in Anjou, and more specifically Savennières, he is producing some of the region’s most compelling expressions of Chenin Blanc. While his white wines deservedly get all of the spotlight, Thibaud also makes an absolutely stunning Cabernet Franc rosé that has become part of my annual rosé purchases since I first tried it a handful of years ago.

Coming from select parcels of 30 to 40 year old vines in St-Lambert-du-Lattay and Lys-Haut-Layon, these Cabernet Franc vines take us to Anjou Noir country and the complex mosaic of terroirs of the Massif Armoricain. The vines are planted on rather shallow soils, with a sandy-clay topsoil of about 15 to 30cm, followed by layers of grey schist and rhyolite, a silica-rich volcanic rock.

This combination of shallow topsoil and schist bedrock is part of the reason why Cabernet Franc historically has struggled to ripen in western A…