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Defining Chinon: Charles Joguet
6-Bottle Sampler
Les Charmes
I am an unabashed Charles Joguet fanatic. The first wine I ever purchased from Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, long before I worked here, was Joguet’s legendary Chinon “Clos de la Dioterie.” The portrait of Rabelais that adorns their labels is my email avatar, and Joguet reds now make up a substantial percentage of my modest cellar. From juicy and refreshing multi-parcel blends to brooding, single-vineyard bottlings, the domaine’s reds define Loire Cabernet Franc: raspberries steeped in black tea, plums, graphite; gently herbal with a pleasing tannic bite that mellows with food. “Les Petites Roches” and “Cuvée de la Cure” are classic bistro reds from limestone and gravel terroirs, respectively. Chill them down and drink them young. The single-vineyard wines, from “Les Charmes” through “Clos de la Dioterie” are richer and more substantial. Older vines, extended élevages, and some of the best vineyard sites in Chinon deliver ageworthyreds that stand toe-to-toe with top Bordeaux. This sampler embodies the impressive breadth of Joguet’s offerings and delivers quality, typicity, and sheer deliciousness in every bottle.
—Dustin Soiseth
This item is not eligible for discounts |
Wine Type: | sampler |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Country: | France |
Normally $348.00 SPECIAL SAMPLER PRICE $0.00 (a 20% discount) |
2016 Chinon “Clos de la Dioterie”
2016 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
2017 Chinon “Cuvée de la Cure”
2017 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
2017 Chinon “Les Petites Roches”
2017 Chinon “Les Charmes”
More from this Producer or Region
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.
2022 Chinon Rosé
France | Loire
One of the first rosés Kermit imported, this wine has been consistently delicious for four decades.
2021 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
France | Loire
The perfect combination of tart red fruit, herbaceousness, and graphite earthiness.
2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
France | Loire
With floral aromas and fine-grained tannins, it already showcases its charms.
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.
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.
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.
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.
2020 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
France | Loire
The perfect combination of tart red fruit, herbaceousness, and graphite earthiness.
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
2022 Pouilly-Fumé “Vieilles Vignes”
Régis Minet France | Loire
2020 Saumur Champigny “Outre Terre”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “Cuvée Alouettes”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2019 Vouvray “Bois Guyon”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Jasnières
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2020 Sancerre Rouge “Le Chant de l’Archet”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Chinon Rosé
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2020 Vouvray “Pierres Rousses”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Muscadet Côtes de Grand Lieu sur lie “La Nöe”
Éric Chevalier France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Les Granges”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2020 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Pouilly-Fumé “Vieilles Vignes”
Régis Minet France | Loire
2020 Saumur Champigny “Outre Terre”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “Cuvée Alouettes”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2019 Vouvray “Bois Guyon”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Jasnières
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2020 Sancerre Rouge “Le Chant de l’Archet”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Chinon Rosé
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2020 Vouvray “Pierres Rousses”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Muscadet Côtes de Grand Lieu sur lie “La Nöe”
Éric Chevalier France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Les Granges”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2020 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
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