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ALEXIS HUDON La Charge
ALEXIS HUDON La Charge
Regular price
$36.00 USD
Regular price
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$36.00 USD
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From the flinty, limestone-laced heart of France's Loire Valley—specifically the Touraine region around Saint-Aignan in the Loir-et-Cher—the La Charge! by Alexis Hudon is an effervescent pétillant naturel that charges forward with unbridled energy, a declassified Vin de France sparkling white born from the winemaker's renegade spirit to sidestep AOP bureaucracy and let the grapes run wild. Originally a sommelier in Paris's natural wine haunts after stints in Quebec City and Montreal, Alexis dove into the vines in 2014 with harvests at Julien Guillot's Burgundian domaine and Nicolas Reau's Anjou outpost, before going full-throttle in 2015 with Lise and Bertrand Jousset in Montlouis. By 2019, he carved out his négociant cellar in a Bourges garage, sourcing organic fruit from trusted Touraine growers across limestone and flint parcels where he pitches in hands-on. For La Charge!, he blends 60% Menu Pineau (a rare, ancient white grape, possibly kin to Heben, once thriving pre-phylloxera in Languedoc) from two 60-year-old parcels with 40% Chenin Blanc from a 40-year-old mixed plot and a dash of Sauvignon Blanc from another 60-year-old site—all on clay-flint and limestone soils that infuse electric minerality. Hand-harvested, direct-pressed whole-bunch into fiberglass tanks for wild-yeast fermentation, it halts naturally before bottling under crown cap to finish fizzing with lees aging for six months—no fining, minimal filtration, and a feather-light sulfite touch—for a hazy, lively sparkler at 12% ABV that captures the Loire's crisp, continental snap.Pale golden-straw in the glass with a gentle haze and vigorous, fine mousse, it bursts with an inviting nose of honeydew melon, green apple, and ripe pear, laced with citrus zest, white flowers, and a chalky, flinty whisper from the region's stony terroir. On the palate, it's dry and elegantly poised—light-bodied with creamy lees texture, bright quenching acidity, and dancing bubbles that weave juicy stone fruit, subtle honeyed notes, and a saline, mineral tension into a clean, persistent finish that's refreshingly moreish without a hint of funk. Dive in now through 2027, served ice-cold (8–10°C) for its peak vivacity, alongside oysters on the half-shell, goat cheese crostini, light seafood salads, or as a festive aperitif to kick off any gathering—this is Loire's buoyant pét-nat powerhouse, proving Alexis's touch turns humble parcels into thrilling, crowd-pleasing elation, one fizzy charge at a time.
