From Montreal to the Loire
A decade of pouring natural wines in Quebec City and Montreal led Alexis Hudon to Paris, then to the Loire Valley, and finally to his own cellar in Bourges. Today he makes jovial, precise natural wines from rare indigenous varieties — Gamay, Grolleau, Braucol, Menu Pineau — sourced from organic friends in Touraine and his own vines at Domaine de Montaillant. The labels are playful. The wines are serious.
From the Floor to the Field
Alexis Hudon was born in Quebec, Canada, and spent ten years working as a sommelier in Quebec City and Montreal — a decade of tasting, learning, and developing an obsession with natural wine. In 2014, he made the leap across the Atlantic, participating in his first harvests in Burgundy and Anjou. The experience was transformative. He returned to Paris and immersed himself further, working the floor at Clamato and Coinstot Vino, two of the city's most respected natural wine destinations [^2^][^11^].
By 2015, the pull of the vineyard was irresistible. Hudon joined Lise & Bertrand Jousset in Montlouis-sur-Loire, cutting his teeth in the mineral soils of the Loire alongside one of the region's most admired natural wine families. He learned vineyard work, cellar management, and the Jousset philosophy of clean, expressive, low-sulfur winemaking. The apprenticeship would shape everything that followed [^2^][^5^].
In 2019, Hudon established his own cellar space in Bourges — despite owning no vineyards. Instead, he built a négociant model based on relationships: sourcing exclusively organic fruit from friends in Touraine (80% from Saint-Aignan, 20% from Montlouis-sur-Loire), tending to 4 hectares of vines alongside the landowners, and hand-harvesting with his team. The grapes travel in small crates to his Bourges cellar, where he vinifies with the same care as if they were his own [^2^].
His first vintage, 2018, was a modest 500 cases. By 2019, production had tripled. And today, Hudon has expanded his footprint further, acquiring his own vineyards at Domaine de Montaillant near Bourges in the Côtes de la Charité appellation, where he farms organically and continues to refine his voice as one of the Loire's most exciting young producers [^2^][^7^].
"Trained at Jousset, Alexis crafts clean, natural wines with minimal sulfites at bottling. Production is limited."
— Tedward Wines
Touraine Fruit, Bourges Cellar
Alexis Hudon's operation is defined by duality: he is both négociant and vigneron. The majority of his fruit still comes from organic vineyards in Touraine — Saint-Aignan and Montlouis-sur-Loire — where he works the vines himself, pruning, tending soils, and hand-harvesting alongside the landowners. This is not passive fruit buying; it is active collaboration, with Hudon invested in every stage of the growing season [^2^].
In Bourges, at Domaine de Montaillant, Hudon has established his own vineyards in the Côtes de la Charité appellation. Here, everything is farmed organically, with herbal teas used for vine treatments rather than synthetic chemicals. The cellar work is equally minimal: spontaneous fermentation, no inputs except a small dose of sulfur when absolutely necessary, and a focus on letting the grapes speak for themselves [^7^].
The soils vary across his sources — clay and flint in Touraine, limestone and clay in Bourges — but the common thread is Hudon's commitment to organic agriculture and his fascination with rare, indigenous varieties. He seeks out grapes that tell a story of place: Menu Pineau, Grolleau Gris, Braucol, and the classic Loire varieties of Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Gamay, and Cabernet Franc [^2^][^6^].
Sourcing organic fruit from 4 hectares across Touraine — 80% Saint-Aignan, 20% Montlouis-sur-Loire. Active vineyard work: pruning, soil care, hand-harvest. Small-crate transport to Bourges. A model of collaboration, not extraction.
Hudon's own estate near Bourges, in the Côtes de la Charité appellation. Organic farming with herbal tea treatments. A permanent home for his vision, allowing full control from vine to bottle.
Rare indigenous grapes — Menu Pineau, Grolleau Gris, Braucol — alongside Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Gamay, Cabernet Franc. A portfolio that celebrates Loire diversity and forgotten flavours.
Certified organic or in conversion. No synthetic chemicals. Herbal teas for vine health. Manual harvest. Spontaneous fermentation. Minimal sulfur. The Jousset philosophy, filtered through a Quebecois lens.
Clean, Jovial, & Precise
Hudon's winemaking is a direct inheritance from his time with the Joussets: clean, precise, and unapologetically natural. Fermentation is always spontaneous, driven by native yeasts. There are no commercial inoculations, no enzymes, no adjustments. The goal is transparency — letting the grape, the soil, and the vintage speak without intervention [^2^][^5^].
Sulfur is used minimally, and only at bottling when necessary. The wines are unfiltered, unfined, and alive. Hudon's reds — particularly Groseille, his Gamay-Grolleau-Braucol blend — are bright, juicy, and peppery, with a freshness that belies their natural credentials. His whites, like Matouse (Sauvignon Blanc and Menu Pineau), are textured, aromatic, and almost chewy in their concentration [^1^][^6^].
The labels are where Hudon's personality shines. Groseille features a naked man in a bathtub — playful, irreverent, and instantly recognisable. La Charge! sports a bold, graphic design. These are wines that don't take themselves too seriously, even as the winemaking behind them is deeply serious. It's a balance that defines Hudon's appeal: technical precision wrapped in joie de vivre [^1^][^12^].
The Jousset Influence
Working alongside Lise & Bertrand Jousset in Montlouis-sur-Loire gave Hudon a blueprint for natural winemaking that prioritises cleanliness and precision over funk and chaos. The Jousset wines are known for their clarity, their mineral expression, and their ability to age gracefully despite minimal sulfur. Hudon has absorbed this ethos and made it his own — applying the same rigour to rare varieties and playful cuvées that the Joussets bring to Chenin Blanc.
Quebecois Roots, Loire Soul
Alexis Hudon is part of a growing wave of non-French winemakers who have adopted the Loire Valley as their spiritual and professional home. Like the Joussets (who came from viticultural families in other regions), Hudon arrived without inherited vineyards or family expectations — just a deep love of natural wine and a willingness to work [^5^].
His Quebecois identity is subtle but present. The playful labels, the democratic pricing, the sense that wine should be fun as well as profound — these feel distinctly North American in their sensibility, even as the wines are unmistakably Loire in their mineral backbone and fresh acidity. Hudon bridges two worlds: the rigorous French tradition of terroir and the open, inclusive culture of the new natural wine movement [^11^].
Despite his newcomer status, Hudon's early vintages have already positioned him among the Loire's most exciting producers. The wines are sought after in Paris, Montreal, New York, and London — a testament to their universal appeal and Hudon's ability to communicate across cultural boundaries. He is proof that the best natural wine is made by those who listen: to the vines, to the cellar, and to the drinker [^2^][^5^].
"Alexis Hudon — Quebecois sommelier turned winemaker, making jovial and fun natural wines with blends of local, indigenous varietals."
— Wine Garage
The Hudon Range
All wines are made from organically farmed fruit — sourced from friends in Touraine or grown at Domaine de Montaillant — hand-harvested, spontaneously fermented, and bottled with minimal sulfur. The range is small, focused, and constantly evolving, with an emphasis on rare varieties and immediate drinkability alongside serious structure [^2^][^6^].