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2021 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
Charles JoguetThe Cuvée Terroir is one of the great everyday reds in our portfolio, right up there with Dupeuble’s Beaujolais, Fontsainte’s Corbières, and our Côtes du Rhône. Here, the Terroir’s Cabernet Franc telltale combination of tart red fruit, herbaceousness, and graphite earthiness makes this wine the perfect accompaniment for just about any meal, and the more casual the better.
As a testament to the quality and consistency of this wine, here’s Kermit’s endorsement from 20 years ago about the 2000 vintage:
What a rich, explosive bouquet! Can you dig it? Did Joguet throw some strawberries into the fermentation vat? And never fear, the palate sustains the incredible level of quality. It is delicious, an absolutely gorgeous, multi-dimensional wine.
Joguet has delivered a wonderful bunch of wines over the years, but never such pure drinking pleasure. I should have ordered it in magnums, so I would not have to pull corks so often. It is a new peak, largely because it is so sumptuous. It’s a treat, and it is to drink young.
I think that about sums it up. And despite the winemaker describing this as “Full, sensual, even voluptuous,” he also suggests that it is to be served a bit cool. Try it on for size yourself.
—Dustin Soiseth
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Cabernet Franc |
Appellation: | Chinon |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Charles Joguet |
Winemaker: | Kevin Fontaine |
Vineyard: | 10.52 ha, 30 years average |
Soil: | Siliceous alluvial sand |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 12.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
2021 Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil “Irène”
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Cabernet Franc on sandy, gravelly soils—juicy, crunchy, and highly chillable.
2018 Chinon Blanc “Clos de la Plante Martin”
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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.
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.
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.
2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
France | Loire
With floral aromas and fine-grained tannins, it already showcases its charms.
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.
2022 Quincy “Vieilles Vignes”
France | Loire
Pierre’s old-vine Quincy has a mouth-coating texture and charming notes of tangerine that are certain to earn this great appellation the following it deserves.
2020 Chinon “Cuvée Terroir”
France | Loire
The perfect combination of tart red fruit, herbaceousness, and graphite earthiness.
2022 Chinon Rosé
France | Loire
One of the first rosés Kermit imported, this wine has been consistently delicious for four decades.
2019 Chinon “Clos de la Dioterie”
France | Loire
Age-worthy red from one of Chinon’s top sites, by a storied domaine.
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
2021 Sancerre “Racines”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Grolleau “Franc de Pied”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2019 Vouvray “Bois Guyon”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2021 Bourgeuil “Cuvée Beauvais”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2020 Saumur-Champigny “Franc de Pied”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2018 Chinon Blanc “Clos de la Plante Martin”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Vin de France Rouge “Le Martray”
Grange Saint Sauveur France | Loire
2020 Sancerre “Hameau de Reigny”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2018 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2019 Bourgueil “Les Perrières”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Clisson “La Molette”
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2021 Sancerre “Racines”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Grolleau “Franc de Pied”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2022 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2019 Vouvray “Bois Guyon”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2021 Bourgeuil “Cuvée Beauvais”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2020 Saumur-Champigny “Franc de Pied”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2018 Chinon Blanc “Clos de la Plante Martin”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Vin de France Rouge “Le Martray”
Grange Saint Sauveur France | Loire
2020 Sancerre “Hameau de Reigny”
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2018 Vin de France Rouge Grolleau/Cabernet Franc
Grange Saint-Sauveur France | Loire
2019 Bourgueil “Les Perrières”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Clisson “La Molette”
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