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2019 Chinon Blanc “La Croix Boissée”

Bernard Baudry
Discount Eligible $50.00
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Nearly fifty miles upriver of Savennières, Chenin takes on a remarkably different personality. Rather than schist, the vines dig through compact strata of clay and powdery white limestone, imbuing the wine with ample flesh to coat its chalky core. A subtle kiss of oak from fermentation in 500-liter puncheons adds nuance and a fine grain. Baudry is among the Loire’s most reliable names for authentic, age-worthy reds produced via natural methods, and the same holds true for the domaine’s rare, precious blanc.

Anthony Lynch


Technical Information
Wine Type: white
Vintage: 2019
Bottle Size: 750mL
Blend: Chenin Blanc
Appellation: Chinon
Country: France
Region: Loire
Producer: Bernard Baudry
Vineyard: Planted between 1994 and 2004, .5 ha
Soil: Clay, Sand, White Limestone
Farming: Organic (practicing)
Alcohol: 13.5%

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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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