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2017 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
Charles JoguetOne of the appellation’s oldest documented vineyard sites, this mythical parcel is responsible for the boldest, most age-worthy wine in the Joguet cellars. Chêne Vert’s tuffeau limestone soil and extended aging in barrel without filtration yield this deep, chewy, brooding beast of a Chinon. The domaine claims that Chêne Vert begins to open up after the ten-year mark, but if you choose to pull the cork sooner, I suggest roasted game, leg of lamb, a rich braise, or wild mushrooms to achieve optimal harmony.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2017 |
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 (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
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2020 Chinon “Les Petites Roches”
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Showing off Cabernet in its most delicate, charming form, rife with aromas of roses, damp earth, and little red berries.
2020 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
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The perfect combination of tart red fruit, herbaceousness, and graphite earthiness.
2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
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With floral aromas and fine-grained tannins, it already showcases its charms.
2022 Muscadet “Le Clos de la Butte”
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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.
2019 Chinon “Clos de la Dioterie”
France | Loire
Age-worthy red from one of Chinon’s top sites, by a storied domaine.
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
2021 Chinon “Les Grézeaux”
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2023 Reuilly “Les Pierres Plates”
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2020 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
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2022 Bourgueil Rosé “La Ritournelle”
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2021 Sancerre Rouge
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2023 Cheverny
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2021 Bourgueil “Cuvée Alouettes”
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2019 Sancerre Rouge “Champs d’Alligny”
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2022 Jasnières “Dyane”
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2020 Saumur Blanc “Terres”
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2022 Jasnières “Cuvée du Silex”
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2021 Chinon “Les Grézeaux”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2023 Reuilly “Les Pierres Plates”
Domaine de Reuilly France | Loire
2020 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil Rosé “La Ritournelle”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2021 Sancerre Rouge
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2023 Cheverny
Domaine du Salvard France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “Cuvée Alouettes”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2019 Sancerre Rouge “Champs d’Alligny”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Jasnières “Dyane”
Christine de Mianville France | Loire
2020 Saumur Blanc “Terres”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Jasnières “Cuvée du Silex”
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
Where the newsletter started
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