Baudry, Bernard & Matthieu 2021 Chinon Rosé

(10/18) As always, this is one of the most elegant and delicious of all French rosés, a reflection of the superb organic vineyard work and the great terroir possesed by the Baudrys as well as their great talent in vinifications with minimal added SO2. The Cabernet Franc grapes are from two parcels, one on clay/limestone with silex that brings structure, minerality and acidity to the wine ("Les Balais"), and another on sandy gravel soils bringing fruit and fragrance. The fermentation is slow, with wild yeasts, with no SO2 added, often taking a few months to finsh. Minimal SO2 is added before bottling. The 2021 will please those who enjoy a lighter, les "fruity" wine, as the wine is more delicate than the previous 3 vintages...

Baudry 2020 Chinon Les Granges

From 30 to 35 year-old vines on gravel and sandy soils with a bit of clay near the Vienne river in organic agriculture. Hand harvested, fermented with wild yeasts, ages for 8 to 10 months in cement vats, minimal addition of SO2 only prior to bottling. This "basic" cuvée from Bernard and Matthieu Baudry has gotten more and more "serious" as the vines age, giving a wine that is  delightful to drink young, but that shows surprising complexity and mineral character as well. The wine shows aromas of ripe raspberry and bluberry with hints of earth, stone, pepper and herbs, really an old school Cab Franc. The palate is quite mineral with firm stony acids underlying lush berry fruits, and is beautifully balanced at 12.5% alcohol. Quite structured for "les Granges," this is delicious now, served cool, with roast chicken, white meats, charcuterie and mild cheeses and will improve with 3 to 5 years of aging.

Baudry 2019 Chinon Cuvée Domaine

 The Baudry Chinon "Domaine" is always one of our favorite reds from the Loire Valley and it's a sensational value as well.   All Cabernet Franc of course, a blend of 75% from a parcel in St. Louans, where the thin clay/limestone soils give earthy well-structured wines, with 25% from gravel soils near Cravant, giving supple fruit and freshness. Organic farming, wild-yeast fermentation, aging in 5 to 10 year-old wooden vats and cement with almost no added SO2. The 2019 Domaine  shows a deep red/black color and beautiful fresh aromas of ripe red and black fruits with hints of earth, roast meat, black pepper and violet. The palate is dense and sapid with supple strawberry and blackberry liqueur, lacking a bit of the sweet, lush character of the 2018, but showing more underlying mineral flavors lifted by bright acidity. The fruit is quite ripe but the wine is beautifully balanced - it's delicious now and will be singing in 2031 as well. Highly recommended.   David Lillie

Baudry 2019 Chinon Les Grézeaux 1.5 L

One of the most pleasurable red wines of the Loire Valley, the Baudry Chinon Les Grézeaux is from a unique parcel of sixty year-old vines near the bottom of the slope in Sonnay (near Cravant-les-Coteaux) on a bed of gravel over a base of clay, sand and limestone. The grapes are harvested by hand of course and fermented with wild yeasts with zero SO2 added during vinification. Beginning in 2017, the wine ages in large cement vats by Nico Velo, which are slightly porous. Les Grézeaux always has an elegant silky texture and wonderful freshness, making it delicious as a young wine, combined with the ability to age beautifully for 20 years and more in good vintages.  The 2019 shows a dark black/purple color with quite floral blackberry and strawberry aromas, with a bit of earth, spice and citrus. Very silky and supple on the palate  with deep stony black fruits, meaty, chalky and long. Good acidity in the finish with graphite and velvety black fruits, quite elegant, very sapid and long. This is a lovely "Les Grézeaux" and is highly recommended for early drinking or ten to twenty  years of cellaring.  David Lillie

Baudry 2020 Chinon Blanc

(This wine is in our warehouse and should arrive by 2/9) The 2020 Baudry Blanc "Domaine" is from young vines in several parcels on the clay/limestone slopes in and around Cravant. The grapes are hand-harvested of course and ferment with wild yeasts in 500 liter oak barrels. 2020 shows a bit dryer and lighter than the 2018 & 2019 "Domaine" blanc, showing a bright pale gold/bronze color, with ripe, floral, chalky aromas of almond and pear. The chalk returns on the palate with bright citrus and round white fruits, a supple, silky texture and good length. A perfect aperitif, this will pair with main courses of full-flavored fish and  chicken in sauce says John McIlwain. Lovely wine! 

Baudry 2019 Chinon Le Clos Guillot

 "Clos Guillot 2019 : Warm millésime but fresh wine with very elegant tannins. Even if the wine is a bit shy aromatically, it is one of the greatest Clos Guillot we have made. Not as big as CG 2018 but great potential and a lot of finesse. The second half of June, as well as July and August, were extremely hot and dry, with temperatures often over 40 °C. Fortunately, the vines benefited from some long-awaited rainfall around the end of September. The grape-harvest started on September 30 and lasted until October 8. The reds, though not quite as spicy as the 2018s, are generous and redolent of red fruit and violets. The savory character of the 2019 reds seduced us from the onset. The tannins are well-integrated, and the wines are remarkably balanced."Le Clos Guillot is a beautiful south-east facing vineyard, just east of the town of Chinon, above the Clos de l'Olive and adjacent to Le Chêne Vert. The upper slope of the parcel is clay over limestone and the vines are relatively young, planted from 1993 to 2000. (Some franc de pied vines are still alive in the sandier section) Fermentation is in wooden cuves, with 12 months of aging in three to ten year-old barriques, and 9 - 12 additional months in unlined cement vats.This is a wine for the cellar, best 2026 - 2045.

Raffault, Olga 2021 Chinon Rosé

The Olga Raffault Chinon is a rosé de saignée, after a 12-hour maceration on the skins, followed by a slow low-tempreature fermentation with wild yeasts. The grapes come from gravel soils which brings a bit more density of fruit to the wine which is elegant and perfectly balanced in 2021 Lovely bright pink color, hints of raspberry and strawberry fruit, very dry and balanced on the palate with a bit of peach and red berries in the finish with crisp saline acidity. "Particulièrement gouleyant" it says on the label and we couldn't agree more!