Alexis Hudon spent roughly a decade reading wine lists before he ever made a wine. The leap from sommelier to vigneron is rare, and rarer still when the person making it crosses an ocean to do it.
Backstory
Hudon grew up in Quebec and built his early career as a sommelier in Quebec City and Montreal, specializing in natural wine. He later worked the floor at the Paris natural-wine institutions Clamato and Coinstot Vino.
In 2014 he came to France to harvest at respected estates in Burgundy and Anjou, working with names such as Julien Guillot and Nicolas Reau. He then spent roughly three years working on and off with Lise and Bertrand Jousset in the Loire while completing viticulture and oenology training. He moved to Bourges and set up his own negociant house in 2018, releasing a first vintage of around 500 cases.
The Region
Hudon now works on two fronts. He owns vines at the Domaine de Montaillant in the Cotes de la Charite, a small appellation near Bourges on the southern edge of the Loire, and he buys organic fruit from friends across the Touraine and beyond. His sourcing reaches Saint-Aignan and Montlouis-sur-Loire in the Touraine, as well as Saumur and the area near Nantes.
Vineyards & Farming
In 2021 he acquired about 6 hectares in the Cotes de la Charite, planted to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir on clay-limestone soil and white marl. Everything is farmed organically, with herbal teas used to treat the vines. He hand-harvests and takes an active part in the vineyard work, and the wines are vegan. The purchased Touraine fruit is likewise organic.
Winemaking
Hudon ferments with native yeasts and works without inputs beyond, at most, a small dose of sulfur. Vessels range from concrete tanks to barrels and fiberglass, chosen to suit each cuvee, and many bottlings carry no added sulfur at all.
The Wines
From the estate come Montaillant, a Chardonnay raised in concrete; La Table, a Pinot Noir aged in concrete and barrel; and La Demarrante, a Chardonnay pet-nat. From bought Touraine fruit he makes lighter cuvees such as the Gamay-based Groseille, working across Sauvignon, Chenin, the local Menu Pineau, Grolleau Gris, and Braucol. Production remains small and is split between his own appellation wines and easygoing natural Vin de France.
