From a minuscule parcel of ungrafted vines at the top of Clos de la Hutte, this wine represents one of the rarest and most profound expressions of chenin blanc in the Loire. The soils here are unusually sandy over schist bedrock, and the vines—planted franc de pied (on their own roots)—offer an unmediated connection between plant and terroir. Yields are low, and the winemaking is as minimalist as it gets: native yeast fermentation, no malolactic conversion, and élevage in neutral vessels, including a temperature-stable glass wine globe. 

What emerges is a wine of staggering purity and structure—cool-toned and chiseled, yet aromatically lifted with notes of white peach, citrus oil, verbena, and crushed stone. The palate is taut and tensile, with a long, saline finish that vibrates with energy. 

Made in painfully small quantities and likely a future casualty of phylloxera, Franc de Pied is a fleeting glimpse at something elemental and extraordinary—a wine that won’t exist forever but that will be remembered long after the bottle is gone.