Notify me
2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
Charles JoguetDeep, dark herbal aromas announce a muscular palate, boldly delivering a delightful burst of red fruit along with tannic structure. Did I say Petites Roches had a long finish? Well, this one goes on for days. Try it with farm-fresh beef and olive sauté.
—Emily Spillmann
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Cabernet Franc |
Appellation: | Chinon |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Charles Joguet |
Winemaker: | Kevin Fontaine |
Vineyard: | Planted in 1962 to 1976, 4.61 ha |
Soil: | Siliceous chalk & clay |
Aging: | Wine ages in oak fûts for 15-16 months, depending on the vintage, after racking, the finished wine rests assembled in cuve for two months before bottling |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
2021 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
France | Loire
The perfect combination of tart red fruit, herbaceousness, and graphite earthiness.
2020 Chinon “Les Petites Roches”
France | Loire
Showing off Cabernet in its most delicate, charming form, rife with aromas of roses, damp earth, and little red berries.
2019 Chinon “Clos de la Dioterie”
France | Loire
Age-worthy red from one of Chinon’s top sites, by a storied domaine.
2022 Chinon Rosé
France | Loire
One of the first rosés Kermit imported, this wine has been consistently delicious for four decades.
2020 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
France | Loire
The perfect combination of tart red fruit, herbaceousness, and graphite earthiness.
2020 Sancerre Champs d’Alligny
France | Loire
Previously blended into the domaine’s Sancerre rouge, the Champs d’Alligny is now its own bottling, a successful experiment if there ever was one.
2022 Vin de France Brut Nature “Elle est pas bulle, la vie?”
France | Loire
Delicious and honest naturally sparkling Chenin, bottled with no dosage and no sulfur.
2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
France | Loire
Given light treatment in the cellar, this wine shows off Cabernet in its most delicate, charming form.
2019 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
France | Loire
Chinons from Joguet are known for their firm minerality, but this one is quite charming as well, with plummy black fruit, myrtle, and notes of warm licorice.
2018 Chinon Blanc “Clos de la Plante Martin”
France | Loire
The singularity and beauty of Chenin Blanc really shines with a bit of age, which is what makes this wine so special to enjoy now.
About The Producer
Charles Joguet
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.
More from Loire or France
2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Les Cris”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Sancerre
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
2019 Chinon “Clos de la Dioterie”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Cuvée Marcel Henri”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2021 Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil “Irène”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2020 Bourgueil “Nuits d’Ivresse”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “Clos Romans”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Les Coutones”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2019 Sancerre Rouge “Champs d’Alligny”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Savennières
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Les Cris”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Sancerre
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
2019 Chinon “Clos de la Dioterie”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Cuvée Marcel Henri”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2021 Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil “Irène”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2020 Bourgueil “Nuits d’Ivresse”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “Clos Romans”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Les Coutones”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2019 Sancerre Rouge “Champs d’Alligny”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Savennières
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
For the wines that I buy I insist that the winemaker leave them whole, intact. I go into the cellars now and select specific barrels or cuvées, and I request that they be bottled without stripping them with filters or other devices. This means that many of our wines will arrive with a smudge of sediment and will throw a more important deposit as time goes by, It also means the wine will taste better.