2005 Chinon Domaine From Bernard Baudry!

9/27/2007 -

One of the highlights of our yearly Loire Valley trip is the tasting with Bernard and Matthieu Baudry, at the Salon in Angers or at their beautiful home in Cravant.  Each year the Baudry's wines are among the very finest Loire reds, the purity and elegance of the wines reflected by the friendly and thoughtful personalities of Bernard and his son. Since beginning with only 2 hectares in 1982, the estate now has 30 hectares including the new Clos Guillot, a beautiful hillside parcel of sandy clay and limestone.  The Baudry's make 5 cuvées of red Chinon from different parcels with different soils, beginning with the "Les Granges," from young vines near the Vienne, giving a wine that drinks well young.  The best value in the portfolio is perhaps the Cuvée Domaine.  The wine is from 35 year-old vines on gravel (80%) and clay/limestone soils (20%) giving a wine with lovely fruit and earthy complexity which takes a couple of years to soften and will keep nicely for another 3 -5 years.  This wine is particularly successful in 2005.  While the terroir is evident, as always, the fruit is lush and very pretty, and the overall impression was very similar to the wonderful Les Grézeaux.  (By the way, those who bought the 1989 Les Grezeaux from me at ******, are now very, very happy...) There is a small (12 case) shipment of this wine arriving soon, and there will be an additional shipment later in the fall.  Given the reasonable price, despite the plummeting dollar, this wine is Highly Recommended.