2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
$22
Producers
Charles Joguet once mused that he had gotten a lot of experience drinking good wine while studying art in Paris, but that that was far from teaching him how to make good wine. On the long road of trial and error, he discovered a respect for patience over manipulation. “Finesse is the opposite of action,” he said in La Revue du Vin de France. “You have a terroir, a microclimate, and you do what you can with it.” Clos de la Dioterie is the essence of finesse: a harmony of ripe fruit aromas followed by silky spice on the palate; the freshness of a just-ripe blackberry and a trace of vanilla to soften the acidity. A wine that is easy to call pretty, in the most charming sense of the word.
—Emily Spillmann
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2016 |
Bottle Size: | 1.5L |
Blend: | Cabernet Franc |
Appellation: | Chinon |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Charles Joguet |
Winemaker: | Kevin Fontaine |
Vineyard: | Planted in 1930 to 1940, 2.22 ha |
Soil: | White Limestone, Clay |
Aging: | Prolonged aging in 1-3 year-old barrels for 12-15 months |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
Charles Joguet France | Loire | Chinon
Charles Joguet France | Loire | Chinon
Charles Joguet France | Loire | Chinon
Charles Joguet France | Loire | Chinon
Charles Joguet France | Loire | Chinon
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.
Château d’Épiré France | Loire | Savennières
Thierry Germain France | Loire | Saumur
Bernard Baudry France | Loire | Chinon
Éric Chevalier France | Loire | Vin de Pays du Val de Loire
Bernard Baudry France | Loire | Chinon
Daniel Chotard France | Loire | Sancerre
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire | Vin de France
Daniel Chotard France | Loire | Sancerre
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire | Muscadet Sèvre et Maine
Champalou France | Loire | Vouvray
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire | Vin de France
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
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