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2020 Chinon “La Croix Boissée”
Bernard BaudryThis is the grandest bottling of Cabernet Franc from one of Chinon’s most outstanding producers. While the wine is well concentrated, it has lift and freshness as the deeper notes of ripe cherry, graphite, and smoke are balanced by ethereal aromas of eucalyptus and cool fall air.
—Will Meinberg
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Cabernet Franc |
Appellation: | Chinon |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Bernard Baudry |
Winemaker: | Matthieu & Bernard Baudry |
Vineyard: | 5-15 years, 2.5 ha |
Soil: | Clay, sand, white limestone |
Aging: | Aged 24 months in 1 to 3 years old barrels |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
2022 Chinon “Les Granges”
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Put a slight chill on it, pop the cork, and inhale its lively perfume: the floral fragrance and bright, juicy fruit—picture fresh-squeezed berries—are simply irresistible.
2019 Vouvray “Le Portail”
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The most serious and age-worthy of Champalou’s dry wines, it has a depth and richness of flavor that allow it to shine alongside refined cuisine.
2022 Chinon Blanc
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A rare Chenin Blanc from the land of Cabernet Franc. Ultra fresh and brimming with citrus blossom and orchard fruit notes, it has a saline, mineral finish that leaves my palate simultaneously satisfied and begging for more. Try it with fresh trout, grilled whole topped with chimichurri or smoked and tossed into a Niçoise salad.
2022 Chinon Rosé
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One of the first rosés Kermit imported, this wine has been consistently delicious for four decades.
2021 Chinon “Les Grézeaux”
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A textbook Chinon like this merits simple, rustic cuisine such as roast game, baked potatoes, and sautéed porcini mushrooms.
2022 Chinon Rosé
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Matthieu Baudry captures both youthful fruit and energizing mineral textures with this rosé.
2022 Grolleau “Franc de Pied”
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Brambly berries and lifted floral notes combine with an earthy coolness and touch of spice in this red whose low alcohol level makes it even easier to fervently slurp down.
2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
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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.
2020 Saumur Champigny “La Marginale”
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Germain’s reds are grand examples of the heights biodynamic wines can achieve.
2021 Chinon
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It is fresh and buoyant enough for casual fare yet has the stuffing to accompany heartier dishes, while its vivid raspberry fruit makes it extremely approachable today, notwithstanding its medium-term aging potential.
About The Producer
Bernard Baudry
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
2022 Chinon Rosé
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2019 Bourgueil “Les Perrières”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Cheverny
Domaine du Salvard France | Loire
2022 Sancerre
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
2019 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Sancerre Rosé “Le Colombier”
Domaine Roger Neveu France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
2019 Vouvray “Le Portail”
Champalou France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil Rosé “La Ritournelle”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
Vouvray Brut
Champalou France | Loire
2022 Chinon Rosé
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2019 Bourgueil “Les Perrières”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Cheverny
Domaine du Salvard France | Loire
2022 Sancerre
Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy France | Loire
2019 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Sancerre Rosé “Le Colombier”
Domaine Roger Neveu France | Loire
2021 Bourgueil “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
2019 Vouvray “Le Portail”
Champalou France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil Rosé “La Ritournelle”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
Vouvray Brut
Champalou 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