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2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
Charles Joguet

When Charles Joguet took over the family vineyards in 1957, he set out to do something that was unheard of in the Loire Valley. Rather than blending all the fruit from his varied parcels, he opted for a more Burgundian approach and began vinifying each individually, highlighting Chinon’s diversity of soils and exposures and playing with the nuances of vine age to propose a gamut of different wines of unique character.
It is in this spirit that the domaine’s current vigneron, Kevin Fontaine, crafts the cuvée Les Petites Roches, named for the estate’s gravelly terroirs. Given light treatment in the cellar, this wine shows off Cabernet in its most delicate, charming form, rife with aromas of roses, damp earth, and little red berries, along with a gentle tannin holding it all together. Enjoy this classic representation of Cabernet Franc from Chinon with roast chicken, pork chops, or game.
—Anthony Lynch
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: | 35 years average, 11.73 ha |
Soil: | Siliceous alluvial sand, Limestone |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
More from this Producer or Region

2019 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
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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.

2021 Chinon Rosé
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One of the first rosés Kermit imported, this wine has been consistently delicious for four decades.

2020 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” Blanc
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Bone dry and perfectly chiseled, this zesty Petites Roches blanc will serve you well alongside a wide range of seafood from raw oysters to seared scallops to grilled sea bass.

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.

2017 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 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
France | Loire
With floral aromas and fine-grained tannins, it already showcases its charms.

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.

2019 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Clandestine”
France | Loire
The fruit is concentrated, deep, and pure, suggesting wild brambles and tart blackberries, along with an earthy, spicy component and hints of cedar. It has the levity to offer immediate pleasure, along with the complexity and structure to age well for a few years.
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
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Catherine & Pierre Breton Pack
6-Bottle Sampler France | Loire
Sampler Includes:
NV Vouvray Brut “La Dilettante” $34.00
2020 Vouvray “Pierres Rousses” $38.00
2020 Bourgueil “Nuits d’Ivresse” $40.00
2021 Bourgueil “Trinch!” $31.00
2018 Bourgueil “Les Perrières” $59.00
2019 Bourgueil “Clos Sénéchal” $51.00
Normally $253.00
SPECIAL SAMPLER PRICE $199.00
(a 20% discount)
2018 Vouvray “La Moelleuse”
Champalou France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2021 Val de Loire Rouge Grolleau
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2021 Chinon Blanc
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Blanc Chenin “Centenaire”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil Clairet “Avis de Vin Fort”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Saumur-Champigny “Roche”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Sancerre “Les Cris”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2020 Muscadet Côtes de Grand Lieu sur lie “La Nöe”
Éric Chevalier France | Loire
2019 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Clisson “La Molette”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2021 Vin de France Rouge “Le Martray”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
Catherine & Pierre Breton Pack
The Bretons will undoubtedly go down in wine history as the vignerons who made Loire Valley wines fun.
Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
When buying red Burgundy, I think we should remember:
1. Big wines do not age better than light wine.
2. A so-called great vintage at the outset does not guarantee a great vintage for the duration.
3. A so-called off vintage at the outset does not mean the wines do not have a brilliant future ahead of them.
4. Red Burgundy should not taste like Guigal Côte-Rôtie, even if most wine writers wish it would.
5. Don’t follow leaders; watch yer parking meters.
Inspiring Thirst, page 174