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2018 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard BaudryWith a glance at the dark purple color—the hue of a Kalamata olive—and a sniff of the nose heavy on dark ripe fruit and black tea, I get a little giddy. I can tell I’m going to enjoy this. The first taste knocks me off my feet. I need to be careful or my prose is going to be as purple as my teeth, because Le Clos Guillot is a powerhouse, an earthy, feral wine that throws sediment like it’s been aging for thirty years. Powerful and tannic, this vintage needs rich food now, or a few years in the cellar.
—Dustin Soiseth
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Cabernet Franc |
Appellation: | Chinon |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Bernard Baudry |
Winemaker: | Matthieu & Bernard Baudry |
Vineyard: | 15 years, 4 ha |
Soil: | Sand, Limestone |
Aging: | Aged for twelve months in barrel; not fined or filtered |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 14.3% |
More from this Producer or Region
2021 Chinon “Les Grézeaux”
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A textbook Chinon like this merits simple, rustic cuisine such as roast game, baked potatoes, and sautéed porcini mushrooms.
2022 Chinon Blanc
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A rare Chenin Blanc from the land of Cabernet Franc. Ultra fresh and brimming with citrus blossom and orchard fruit notes, it has a saline, mineral finish that leaves my palate simultaneously satisfied and begging for more. Try it with fresh trout, grilled whole topped with chimichurri or smoked and tossed into a Niçoise salad.
2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
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Even though all of the wines hail from Chinon, the soil, elevation, and exposition all combine to make Le Clos Guillot their cuvée with the most finesse.
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There isn’t a spot in the world better suited for Cabernet Franc, and their old vines produce the raw material for one of the best reds in the Loire valley.
2022 Grolleau “Franc de Pied”
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Brambly berries and lifted floral notes combine with an earthy coolness and touch of spice in this red whose low alcohol level makes it even easier to fervently slurp down.
2022 Vin de France Rouge “Le Martray”
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The new vintage shows great freshness and brightness, making me think of tart berries picked in the forest just a touch below full ripeness.
2020 Chinon “La Croix Boissée”
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This is the grandest bottling of Cabernet Franc from one of Chinon’s most outstanding producers.
2022 Chinon Rosé
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Matthieu Baudry captures both youthful fruit and energizing mineral textures with this rosé.
2021 Chinon
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It is fresh and buoyant enough for casual fare yet has the stuffing to accompany heartier dishes, while its vivid raspberry fruit makes it extremely approachable today, notwithstanding its medium-term aging potential.
2022 Chinon “Les Granges”
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Put a slight chill on it, pop the cork, and inhale its lively perfume: the floral fragrance and bright, juicy fruit—picture fresh-squeezed berries—are simply irresistible.
About The Producer
Bernard Baudry
About The Region
Loire
The defining feature of the Loire Valley, not surprisingly, is the Loire River. As the longest river in France, spanning more than 600 miles, this river connects seemingly disparate wine regions. Why else would Sancerre, with its Kimmeridgian limestone terroir be connected to Muscadet, an appellation that is 250 miles away?
Secondary in relevance to the historical, climatic, environmental, and cultural importance of the river are the wines and châteaux of the Jardin de la France. The kings and nobility of France built many hundreds of châteaux in the Loire but wine preceded the arrival of the noblesse and has since out-lived them as well.
Diversity abounds in the Loire. The aforementioned Kimmderidgian limestone of Sancerre is also found in Chablis. Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur boast the presence of tuffeau, a type of limestone unique to the Loire that has a yellowish tinge and a chalky texture. Savennières has schist, while Muscadet has volcanic, granite, and serpentinite based soils. In addition to geologic diversity, many, grape varieties are grown there too: Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Melon de Bourgogne are most prevalent, but (to name a few) Pinot Gris, Grolleau, Pinot Noir, Pineau d’Aunis, and Folle Blanche are also planted. These myriad of viticultural influences leads to the high quality production of every type of wine: red, white, rosé, sparkling, and dessert.
Like the Rhône and Provence, some of Kermit’s first imports came from the Loire, most notably the wines of Charles Joguet and Château d’Epiré—two producers who are featured in Kermit’s book Adventures on the Wine Route and with whom we still work today.
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Touraine “Fines Bulles”
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2020 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
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2021 Quincy
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2020 Vouvray “Pierres Rousses”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Cheverny
Domaine du Salvard France | Loire
2021 Vin de France Blanc “Centenaire”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Blanche
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2019 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil Rosé “La Ritournelle”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Chinon Rosé
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “Franc de Pied”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
Where the newsletter started
Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch