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2022 Grolleau “Franc de Pied”
Bernard BaudryVignerons can be sneaky people. Take Matthieu Baudry, who nonchalantly handed me a bottle—as if it were an afterthought—following an outstanding tasting at his family domaine near Chinon a few summers ago. He muttered something along the lines of “I do this on the side, for fun” as I stared at him inquisitively, the look on my face asking, Were you trying to hide this from me?!
The wine in question is a Grolleau produced from nine-year-old ungrafted—franc de pied— vines in a small sandy parcel on the banks of the Vienne, a tributary to the Loire that has carved out some of the finest terroirs in the great Chinon appellation. Once widely planted in its native Loire Valley, Grolleau can still be found in certain pockets, but requires the hand of a skilled vigneron to check its high-yielding nature. Matthieu ferments the Grolleau whole-cluster and ages it in tank, producing a juicy libation brimming with lively fruit marked by the silky, sensuous texture of an unfiltered bottling. 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.
While it does not carry the heft or nuance of Matthieu’s Chinon bottlings, this cuvée—served chilled, of course—has the irresistible, easygoing nature of top Beaujolais. He was able to spare ten cases of his “afterthought,” and we are thrilled to carry it.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2022 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Grolleau |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Bernard Baudry |
Winemaker: | Matthieu & Bernard Baudry |
Vineyard: | Vines 9 years old |
Soil: | Sand, yellow limestone |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 10% |
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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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2021 Chinon
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2022 Vin de France Rouge “Le Martray”
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2020 Sancerre “Hameau de Reigny”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Muscadet Côtes de Grand Lieu sur lie “La Nöe”
Éric Chevalier France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Muscadet “Le Clos de la Butte”
Eric Chevalier France | Loire
2019 Sancerre Rouge “Champs d’Alligny”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “Cuvée Alouettes”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2020 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Clisson “La Molette”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
Vouvray Brut “La Dilettante”
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2020 Saumur Blanc “Terres”
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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