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2017 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”

Bernard Baudry
Discount Eligible $43.00
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If you ever visit Bernard Baudry and his son Matthieu in Chinon, you will notice some very useful tools around their cellar and winery that help you to better understand their six or so distinct terroirs. One is a cross-section map of the landscape that shows the elevation and soil changes of their plots as you move away from the Vienne river. Another is a series of terrariums, side by side, that contain soil samples from each of these terroirs. Looking at the map first, you will notice that Le Clos Guillot is their highest plot, located right outside the town of Chinon. Turning to the glass containers, you’ll see the striking color of the yellow limestone in Le Clos Guillot. It begins to make sense why this cuvée is markedly distinct from the others. 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. Enjoy this bottle over a few nights if you can and follow how the complex flavors of dark berries and graphite open up and become more delicate. This will be a study, in miniature, in how well this wine will evolve over the next five to fifteen years.

Tom Wolf


Technical Information
Wine Type: red
Vintage: 2017
Bottle Size: 750mL
Blend: Cabernet Franc
Appellation: Chinon
Country: France
Region: Loire
Producer: Bernard Baudry
Winemaker: Matthieu & Bernard Baudry
Vineyard: 15 years, 4 ha
Soil: Sand, Limestone
Aging: Aged for twelve months in barrel; not fined or filtered
Farming: Organic (practicing)
Alcohol: 13%

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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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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

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