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2018 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”

Charles Joguet
Discount Eligible $75.00
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Charles Joguet, our artist/vintner from Chinon, survives from one year to the next, always on the verge of bankruptcy. Years ago he was swindled by the company that constructed a set of fermentation vats. While he was figuring out how to fight the wolf at the door, along came a friend who showed him a piece of property for sale.
     “I had heard of the place,” Charles told me recently. “It was called Le Chêne Vert, or The Green Oak, named after an 800-year-old oak there, which was cut down about 400 years ago. So I went to look it over. I remember that afternoon, there was a splendid sunset illuminating the old city of Chinon. I knew that Le Chêne Vert was one of the two parcels originally planted at Chinon by the monks in the eleventh century. They introduced the Cabernet Franc here, and they knew what they were doing because Le Chêne Vert is certainly the most extraordinary site for the vine at Chinon.
     “I saw the ancient cellar, the soil, the vines, but half the property was grown over wild, the other half in untended old vines. What a job, I thought, to put it back into shape, because the terrain is steep and rocky, very difficult to work. None of the other winegrowers were interested in it.
     “It was to be auctioned off. It is an old custom here, une vente à la bougie; a candle burns on a piece of wood, and when it goes out the auction is over. It takes two or three minutes.
     “I was curious to see what the land would go for, so I went to the auction. The only serious bidder wanted it as pasture for his sheep! No one thought I would buy it, especially me. At the last moment I opened my mouth and voilà, the candle went out. I said to myself, ‘Zut, where will I find the money?’ It was cheap, but when you are broke nothing is cheap.”
     Now, several years later, Charles says his gamble paid off and Le Chêne Vert will produce his finest Chinon. Start a collection of vintages with this fabulous 1985. It has a dense, complex nose, lots of flavor and character. There is no other wine like it.

** This passage comes from our June 1987 newsletter. **

Kermit Lynch


Technical Information
Wine Type: red
Vintage: 2018
Bottle Size: 750mL
Blend: Cabernet Franc
Appellation: Chinon
Country: France
Region: Loire
Producer: Charles Joguet
Winemaker: Kevin Fontaine
Vineyard: Vines 30 years old
Soil: Siliceous chalk & clay
Aging: Prolonged aging in 1-3 year-old barrels for 18 months
Farming: Organic (certified)
Alcohol: 14.2%

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About The Region

Loire

map of 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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Old cob-webbed wine bottles

Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.