Two Stars - producteur de très grande qualité LE CLASSEMENT 2011
What the Critics are saying:
“For their quality [Chinon] are absurdly undervalued.” Hugh Johnson & Jancis Robinson, The World Atlas of Wine “My interest in Loire wines hadn’t gone much further than the tasty “petits Chinons” I habitually drank in the wine bistros of Paris. In four days I changed my mind completely. Not only did my thirst grow for the mouth watering little Chinons, but I found the “serious’ versions made by vignerons like Charles Joguet and Bernard Baudry exhilarating.” A Wine & Food Guide to the Loire Valley, Jacqueline Friedrich
We buy the Chinon from Domaine Bernard Baudry each and every year, sometimes twice a year if possible. If we didn’t we’d probably get run out of town by those customers who follow the wines of this fascinating producer. The simple truth is that Baudry makes some of Chinon’s finest wines these days: 100% Cabernet Franc from a range of superb terroirs. These wines are the perfect antidote to the oceans of homogenised wine that exist in the world today. They are totally unique wines of place, and some of the most interesting reds we import.
They have aromatics reminiscent of berries, violets and pencil with a juicy, silky personality in the mouth that keeps you coming back and have a richness yet intensely savoury at the sometime. Each cuvee is named after the terroir that gives them their unique character. Les Granges is a lighter bodied wine made for earlier drinking from grapes that are grown on gravel and sand, which makes for a lip smackingly bright and lively wine. Le Domaine is a blend of parcels of older vines (around 35 years old) planted mostly on the alluvial gravel near the river (that brings an earthy, inky edge) as well as some vines grown on the limestone/flint slopes above the river. La Croix Boisee, from a single site with clay/limestone soils, is solidly built; rich, full and suave. Finally Clos Guillot is another single vineyard situated on a steep, south-east facing slope in Chinon. The soils here are a mixture of clay, chalk and yellow limestone and the wine is the most powerful, profound and long lived. For anyone who may not be aware of Cabernet Franc‘s wily charms or who believes that this grape incapable of producing fabulous wines, these bottlings are the perfect retort.
These are some of the most pure and sumptuous Loire reds and those who prefer what’s in the bottle to what’s on the label will find so much to love in these wines.
100% Cabernet Franc. This is always the first Baudry wine released each year. It comes from young vines (12-15+ years old) planted on alluvial soil and gravel on the terraces near the Vienne river.... read more
Clos Guillot is situated on a south-east facing slope in Chinon, the soils being a mixture of clay, chalk and "yellow limestone". Harvesting is by hand and yields do not exceed 40 hl/ha.... read more
The vines of le Clos Guillot were planted between 1993 and 2000 on south-east facing slopes in Chinon, the soils being a mixture of clay, chalk and "yellow limestone". Harvesting is by handread more
This cuvée is made from a 1/3ha parcel of Cabernet Franc planted 'franc de pied' (i.e. on its own rootstock). For anyone who believes that Cabernet Franc can't be silky, sensual and concentrated,... read more
