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2022 Chinon “Les Grézeaux”
Bernard Baudry
If you could pull back the topsoil of Chinon and view the land from above, you would get a beautiful mosaic of white, tan, and many shades of gold, taupe, gray, and brown. Few appellations in France have such a variegated terroir, made up of clay, yellow and white limestone, sand, and gravel. The Baudrys cultivate Cabernet Franc in all of these soil types and bottle several single-vineyard cuvées, ending up with an astonishing variety of expressions from this one grape. Les Grézeaux comes from their oldest vines—more than sixty years old—planted in gravelly alluvial soil near the Vienne River, which yield a simultaneously concentrated and silky rouge that is very much ready to drink today but will age beautifully over at least the next ten to fifteen years. With perfectly integrated tannins and notes of blackberries, forest floor, and stones, Les Grézeaux offers an ideal match for a lentil and mushroom shepherd’s pie or a simple roast chicken.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2022 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Cabernet Franc |
Appellation: | Chinon |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Bernard Baudry |
Winemaker: | Matthieu & Bernard Baudry |
Vineyard: | 65 years, 3 ha |
Soil: | Gravel |
Aging: | Aged for twelve months in barrel and are not fined or filtered |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13% |
More from this Producer or Region

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2023 Chinon “Les Granges”
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Les Granges is the Baudry cuvée to drink in its youth, while the perfume of rose petals and brambly berries is at its most vivid and vibrant.

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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.

2023 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
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It fills the mouth with suspicions of honeysuckle and pulpy stone fruits, all while maintaining classic notes of iodine and sea breeze that make this the vinous equivalent of tidepooling.

2021 Chinon “La Croix Boissée”
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This is the grandest bottling of Cabernet Franc from one of Chinon’s most outstanding producers.

2023 Gros-Plant du Pays Nantais
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This racy wine is a perfect match for all types of crustaceans as well all by itself on a sunny afternoon.

2023 Chinon Rosé
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April Club Gourmand ~ 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 Blanc
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Ultra fresh and brimming with citrus blossom and orchard fruit notes, it has a saline, mineral finish that leaves my palate begging for more.
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.
More from Loire or France
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2021 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
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2023 Bourgueil “Cuvée Alouettes”
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2022 Jasnières “Dyane”
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2022 Bourgueil “Franc de Pied”
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2022 Sancerre “Les Coutones”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2021 Saumur-Champigny “Les Mémoires”
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2022 Sancerre “Les Cris”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2023 Jasnières
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2023 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Les Petites Roches”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2023 Savennières
Château d’Epiré France | Loire
2021 Chinon “La Croix Boissée”
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Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
Great winemakers, great terroirs, there is never any hurry. And I no longer buy into this idea of “peak” maturity. Great winemakers, great terroirs, their wines offer different pleasures at different ages.
Inspiring Thirst, page 312