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2023 Chinon “Les Grézeaux”
Bernard Baudry
If you could pull back the topsoil of Chinon and view the land from above, you would get a beautiful mosaic of white, tan, and many shades of gold, taupe, gray, and brown. Few appellations in France have such a variegated terroir, made up of clay, yellow and white limestone, sand, and gravel. The Baudrys cultivate Cabernet Franc in all of these soil types and bottle several single-vineyard cuvées, ending up with an astonishing variety of expressions from this one grape. Les Grézeaux comes from their oldest vines—more than sixty years old—planted in gravelly alluvial soil near the Vienne River, which yield a simultaneously concentrated and silky rouge that is very much ready to drink today but will age beautifully over at least the next ten to fifteen years. With perfectly integrated tannins and notes of blackberries, forest floor, and stones, Les Grézeaux offers an ideal match for a lentil and mushroom shepherd’s pie or a simple roast chicken.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2023 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Cabernet Franc |
Appellation: | Chinon |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Bernard Baudry |
Winemaker: | Matthieu & Bernard Baudry |
Vineyard: | 65 years, 3 ha |
Soil: | Gravel |
Aging: | Aged for twelve months in barrel and are not fined or filtered |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 12.5% |
More from this Producer or Region

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.

2024 Chinon Rosé
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Matthieu Baudry captures both youthful fruit and energizing mineral textures with this rosé.

2024 Vin de France Rosé Brut “Elle est pas bulle la vie?”
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It’s refreshingly bright on the palate, flush with delicate notes of strawberry rhubarb, and dangerously quaffable.

2018 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
France | Loire
Thierry Germain’s meticulous process coaxes out the delicate and aromatic side of Chenin Blanc—think jasmine, honeysuckle, and peach.

2022 Vin de France Rouge “Le Martray”
France | Loire
The new vintage shows great freshness and brightness, making me think of tart berries picked in the forest just a touch below full ripeness.

2024 Vouvray
France | Loire
Gentle and refreshing on the palate, it boasts a delightful balance of stony minerality with luscious, almost honeyed fruit and flowery notes.

2022 Chinon “Le Domaine”
France | Loire
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.

2021 Chinon “La Croix Boissée”
France | Loire
This is the grandest bottling of Cabernet Franc from one of Chinon’s most outstanding producers.

2022 Chinon Blanc
France | Loire
August Club Gourmand ~ Ultra fresh and brimming with citrus blossom and orchard fruit notes, it has a saline, mineral finish that leaves my palate begging for more.

2021 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
France | Loire
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.
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 Kimmeridgian 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
2018 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Chinon Blanc
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2021 Saumur Blanc “Terres”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2023 Vouvray “Pierres Rousses”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2023 Saumur Mousseux “Bulles de Roche”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Menetou-Salon Blanc “Cuvée des Bénédictins”
Prieuré de Saint Céols France | Loire
2024 Bourgueil Rosé
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2024 Vouvray
Champalou France | Loire
2020 Saumur Champigny “Clos de l’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2018 Saumur Blanc “Le Clos du Moulin”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2022 Chinon Blanc
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2021 Saumur Blanc “Terres”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
2023 Vouvray “Pierres Rousses”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2023 Saumur Mousseux “Bulles de Roche”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2023 Menetou-Salon Blanc “Cuvée des Bénédictins”
Prieuré de Saint Céols France | Loire
2024 Bourgueil Rosé
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire
2024 Vouvray
Champalou France | Loire
2020 Saumur Champigny “Clos de l’Échelier”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2021 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Clos du Chêne Vert”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
Vintage Chart Mentality

Vintage Chart Mentality
Trust the great winemakers, trust the great vineyards. Your wine merchant might even be trustworthy. In the long run, that vintage strip may be the least important guide to quality on your bottle of wine.—Kermit Lynch