Notify me
2017 Chinon Blanc “Clos de la Plante Martin”
Charles JoguetWhile Domaine Joguet may have built its reputation for its sublime and age-worthy reds, it also produces exquisite whites from Chenin Blanc. Complex and textural, with notes of orchard fruit and chalk, La Plante Martin is a dreamy match for grilled fish or chicken kebabs.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2017 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Chenin Blanc |
Appellation: | Chinon |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Charles Joguet |
Vineyard: | Planted in 1994 to 1999, 3 ha |
Soil: | Limestone, clay |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13% |
More from this Producer or Region
2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
France | Loire
Given light treatment in the cellar, this wine shows off Cabernet in its most delicate, charming form.
2021 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
France | Loire
The perfect combination of tart red fruit, herbaceousness, and graphite earthiness.
2021 Chinon Blanc “Les Charmes”
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.
2022 Chinon Rosé
France | Loire
One of the first rosés Kermit imported, this wine has been consistently delicious for four decades.
2023 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” Blanc
France | Loire
A delightfully lean and bright blanc from Charles Joguet that leaves me yearning to exclaim, “This smells like a green apple picked fresh from a lemon tree!”
2019 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
France | Loire
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.
2018 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 “Clos de la Dioterie”
France | Loire
Age-worthy red from one of Chinon’s top sites, by a storied domaine.
2020 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
France | Loire
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.
2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
France | Loire
With floral aromas and fine-grained tannins, it already showcases its charms.
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
2018 Vouvray “La Moelleuse”
Champalou France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Les Granges”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Coteaux du Loir Blanc
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
Vouvray Brut
Champalou France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Les Coutones”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2023 Reuilly “Les Pierres Plates”
Domaine de Reuilly France | Loire
2020 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Clisson “La Molette”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil Clairet “Avis de Vin Fort”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Blanche
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2018 Vouvray “La Moelleuse”
Champalou France | Loire
2022 Chinon “Les Granges”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Coteaux du Loir Blanc
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
Vouvray Brut
Champalou France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Les Coutones”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2023 Reuilly “Les Pierres Plates”
Domaine de Reuilly France | Loire
2020 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Clisson “La Molette”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil Clairet “Avis de Vin Fort”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Blanche
Domaine Michel Brégeon 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