2/7/26 - 

Last week in Angers we tasted with all five of these outstanding estates and were inspired to offer nineteen (!) Cabernet Francs from Chinon and Bourgueil, both for current enjoyment and for mid to long-term cellaring. Leading off with New Arrivals from Domaine Bernard Baudry and Domaine de la Chevalerie...
 
Domaine Bernard Baudry, Chinon

2023 Chinon Cuvée Domaine - The Domaine cuvée has been one of my favorite Chinons for decades, epitomizing the old-fashioned earthy, bright character of "real" Chinon, delicious young of course (and I have some 2010s in the basement) and offering great value. In 2023 the Domaine gets a face-lift featuring vines in Saint-Louand, near "Les Mollieres" on sandy clay over limestone along with vines on the lower sandy soils of the "Clos Guillot." The result is a fresh, more elegant, pure-fruited Chinon, of course showing the limestone soils, and really quite delicious for current drinking. But I would still put some in the cellar until 2036...
 
2022 Chinon "Les Mollières"  - From the high plateau in Saint-Louand on clay over the yellow limestone, the 2022 "Les Mollières" is a beautiful light-bodied Chinon of great purity and elegance with more density and supple fruit than the lovely 2021. Lovely now of course, but ideally wait a few years and put some in the cellar as well.
 
Returning Favorites: 2022 is a truly great vintage for "Les Grezeaux!"  This dark and full-bodied Chinon from gravel soils in Cravant deserves a spot in your cellar, ideally drink from 2030 to 2040. Enjoy the lighter and very lovely 2023 while you wait. "La Croix Boissée" is one of the greatest reds of the Loire Valley and it's also outstanding in the 2022 vintage. An essential wine for the cellar, enjoy from 2030 until 2050...
(Pictured above, Matthieu and Bernard Baudry. A bit older now, but youthful in spirit!)
 
Domaine de la Chevalerie, Bourgueil

Our tasting last week with Laurie and Emmanuel Caslot of Chevalerie was sensational as always! The estate will release wines when they feel they're drinking well, so the line-up and vintages come and go. This new shipment contains some of our favorites such as the superb 2014 Bretêche, but everyting in today's offer is wonderful in it's own way, in a beautiful array of different terroirs on the clay/limestone slopes of Bourgueil. 
(Of particuar note are the superb 2019 "Chevalerie" and 2029 "Busardiéres" - tasted last week, both wines are beginning to open up for very elegant current drinking, although further cellaring is advised.)
Try them all, you won't be disappointed! (Get the whole story from our friend Pascaline Lepeltier HERE)
 
Chateau de Coulaine, Chinon

2022 Chinon "Les Picasses" -  Chateau de Coulaine has been practicing organic and biodynamic agriculture since 1988. Their parcel on "Les Picasses"  is at the top of the vineyard with southern exposure, on classic clay/limestone tuffeau. Tasted in early February 2026, this quite dense and powerful Chinon shows a dark red/black color with beautiful aromas of ripe blackberry and black-raspberry with earth, citrus and spice, really deep and pretty. This is a "serious" Chinon of terroir that will drink beautifully now and will age nicely as well - this will be a very interesting mature wine from 2032 - 2045.
 
Stéphane Guion, Bourgueil

Stéphane makes some of the most beautiful wines of Bourgueil, on vineyards that have been organic since 1965. Last week's fantastic tasting was further proof that these are some of the most delicious Cab Francs of the Loire, from superb vineyards and at ridiculous prices! Even his entry-level red, the 2021 Candide, is from great clay/limestone soils in Benais. Inventory levels are low on all the wines in today's offer, so don't hesitate to stock-up. (There was one amazing surprise in the tasting - all we can tell you is that it was not Cabernet Franc...)
 
2023 Domaine Les Fossiles, Chinon "Les Battereaux"

This well-known vineyard on thick clay soils near Cravant yielded a delicious Chinon in 2023, showing floral red fruit aromas with a bright, supple, velvety palate, perfect to drink now, served cool.

-David Lillie

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