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2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry

With a glance at the dark purple color—the hue of a Kalamata olive—and a sniff of the nose heavy on dark ripe fruit and black tea, I get a little giddy. I can tell I’m going to enjoy this. The first taste knocks me off my feet. I need to be careful or my prose is going to be as purple as my teeth, because Le Clos Guillot is a powerhouse, an earthy, feral wine that throws sediment like it’s been aging for thirty years. Powerful and tannic, this vintage needs rich food now, or a few years in the cellar.
—Dustin Soiseth
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: | 15 years, 4 ha |
Soil: | Sand, Limestone |
Aging: | Aged for twelve months in barrel; not fined or filtered |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13% |
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2021 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.

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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.
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2021 Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil “Irène”
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2022 Bourgueil Rosé
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2020 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2021 Chinon Blanc
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2022 Vouvray
Champalou France | Loire
2016 Saumur Blanc “L’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Vin de France Brut Nature “Elle est pas bulle, la vie?”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Bourgeuil “Cuvée Beauvais”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2022 Jasnières “Cuvée du Silex”
Pascal Janvier France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “Clos Romans”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2021 Muscadet “Le Clos de la Butte”
Éric Chevalier France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Les Coutones”
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Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
For the wines that I buy I insist that the winemaker leave them whole, intact. I go into the cellars now and select specific barrels or cuvées, and I request that they be bottled without stripping them with filters or other devices. This means that many of our wines will arrive with a smudge of sediment and will throw a more important deposit as time goes by, It also means the wine will taste better.