Notify me
2018 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
Charles Joguet


Clos du Chêne Vert
Charles Joguet, our artist/vintner from Chinon, survives from one year to the next, always on the verge of bankruptcy. Years ago he was swindled by the company that constructed a set of fermentation vats. While he was figuring out how to fight the wolf at the door, along came a friend who showed him a piece of property for sale.
“I had heard of the place,” Charles told me recently. “It was called Le Chêne Vert, or The Green Oak, named after an 800-year-old oak there, which was cut down about 400 years ago. So I went to look it over. I remember that afternoon, there was a splendid sunset illuminating the old city of Chinon. I knew that Le Chêne Vert was one of the two parcels originally planted at Chinon by the monks in the eleventh century. They introduced the Cabernet Franc here, and they knew what they were doing because Le Chêne Vert is certainly the most extraordinary site for the vine at Chinon.
“I saw the ancient cellar, the soil, the vines, but half the property was grown over wild, the other half in untended old vines. What a job, I thought, to put it back into shape, because the terrain is steep and rocky, very difficult to work. None of the other winegrowers were interested in it.
“It was to be auctioned off. It is an old custom here, une vente à la bougie; a candle burns on a piece of wood, and when it goes out the auction is over. It takes two or three minutes.
“I was curious to see what the land would go for, so I went to the auction. The only serious bidder wanted it as pasture for his sheep! No one thought I would buy it, especially me. At the last moment I opened my mouth and voilà, the candle went out. I said to myself, ‘Zut, where will I find the money?’ It was cheap, but when you are broke nothing is cheap.”
Now, several years later, Charles says his gamble paid off and Le Chêne Vert will produce his finest Chinon. Start a collection of vintages with this fabulous 1985. It has a dense, complex nose, lots of flavor and character. There is no other wine like it.
** This passage comes from our June 1987 newsletter. **
—Kermit Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2018 |
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 (certified) |
Alcohol: | 14.2% |
More from this Producer or Region

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.

2020 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
France | Loire
The perfect combination of tart red fruit, herbaceousness, and graphite earthiness.

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

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.

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.

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 Petites Roches” Blanc
France | Loire
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.

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.

2019 Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”
France | Loire
Powerful, cellar-worthy dry Chenin aged in chestnut, oak, & acacia.
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
2019 Bourgeuil “Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2017 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine “Réserve”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2019 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2019 Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”
Château d’Épiré France | Loire
2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2021 Coteaux du Loir Rouge “Cuvée du Rosier”
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2018 Vouvray “La Moelleuse”
Champalou France | Loire
2021 Vin de France Brut Nature “Elle est pas bulle, la vie?”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “Trinch!”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2021 Anjou Rouge “Clos de la Cerisaie”
Château d’Épiré France | Loire
2019 Bourgeuil “Cuvée Beauvais”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2019 Bourgeuil “Vieilles Vignes”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2017 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine “Réserve”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2019 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2019 Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”
Château d’Épiré France | Loire
2016 Chinon “Les Petites Roches” MAGNUM
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2021 Coteaux du Loir Rouge “Cuvée du Rosier”
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2018 Vouvray “La Moelleuse”
Champalou France | Loire
2021 Vin de France Brut Nature “Elle est pas bulle, la vie?”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “Trinch!”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Vin de France Rosé Grolleau/Cabernet Franc “Les Arceaux”
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2021 Anjou Rouge “Clos de la Cerisaie”
Château d’Épiré France | Loire
2019 Bourgeuil “Cuvée Beauvais”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
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