Bernard and Matthieu Baudry (Domaine Bernard Baudry, Cravant-les-Coteaux, AC Chinon)

Quick trip to Chinon on Monday afternoon  to taste some 2009s. First visit was to Domaine Bernard Baudry where Matthieu has now taken over from his father, Bernard who is now officially retired although in fact he is still very much involved.

Matthieu Baudry

Details of wines and tasting notes to be added.

Domaine Bernard Baudry: sorting and loading grapes into the vat

Even spending three weeks trying to cover the vintage in the Loire is not enough given the size of the region. Fortunately not all the grapes ripen at the same time nor do all the regions pick at the same moment. Unfortunately this year the time available for Chinon, Bourgueil, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil and Saumur was just one day, so we only had time to nip in and see a few people in each appellation.

Jean-Martin Dutour, Baudry-Dutour
First stop was the Baudry-Dutour winery just to the east of Panzoult."We started picking for the rosé last week," said Jean-Martin. "The grapes are coming in at 12% and they are fine for rosé but not ripe enough for reds. We used to make rosé de saignée but now we have specific parcels for our rosé. Saignée never makes the best rosé. It is much better to grow grapes specifically for rosé. Yesterday we started picking Les Perrières as the grape skins are now ripe (12%-12.5%, 4 acidity). We had thought to start hand picking the old vines on Monday but we have put it back a week to give them time to ripen further.

As for the Chenin we have picked for the cuvée traditional and will wait before we pick for the top. Once again this year we won't be chaptalising (adding sugar to the must) any of our wines. As I was leaving Jean-Martin reminded me of their new website.

 

View of Panzoult from Baudry-Dutour winery

Domaine Bernard Baudry
A real flying visit to see Bernard, who was busy sorting grapes with his team. Bernard: "we picked Le Clos Guillot yesterday with up to 13% potential. Although the grapes look good, there is a threat of rot."

 Cabernet Franc@Domaine Bernard Baudry

Pizzaman Fabrice in action at Saint-Georges-sur-Cher

(14 August 2008)
After our day in Chinon, Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil we decide to have a bottle of Charles Joguet’s 1988 Clos de la Dioterie (Chinon) as well as the 2003 La Croix Boissée that Bernard Baudry kindly gave us at the end of our visit. We had already arranged that it was going to be pizzas this evening. Every Thursday Fabrice (tel: 06.63.52.00.43) and his mobile pizza oven are in front of the church in Saint–Georges-sur-Cher. Fabrice is in a different place each night of the week: Monday (Montrichard), Tuesday (Meusnes), Wednesday (Saint-Romain) and Friday (Contres). His pizzas are certainly recommended, although perhaps not the ideal match for the Dioterie.

The 1988 Dioterie is in fine shape: still bright coloured not looking its nearly 20 years with lovely delicate brambly fruit and long flavoured. It is showing all the finesse and delicacy that made Charles Joguet’s reputation. Equally it is a reminder of how good the 1988 Loire vintage can be both in reds and sweet whites. It has had the misfortune to be eclipsed by the two vintages that followed: the superb 1989 and, nearly as fine, 1990.

Clos de la Dioterie 1988, Chinon, Charles Joguet

Following Charles Joguet’s retirement in 1997 I have found the domaine patchy. In particular I remember tasting the range at one of Decanter's Fine Wine Encounters in the Landmark Hotel, London. Although I can’t at the moment remember the year I do remember finding the wines very disappointing. With a new team in place it is definitely time to reassess the recent releases.

The 1988 Dioterie proved to be a hard act to follow for the 2003 Croix Boissée, which has all the power and richness of the very hot 2003 vintage but is at the moment decidedly clumsy in comparison to the Dioterie.

Still to come from August visits with The Wine Detective our day in Montlouis: François Chidaine, Stéphane Cossais, Les Loges de la Folie and Jacky Blot.

Charles Joguet, La Dioterie, 37220 Sazilly
Tel: 02.47.58.55.53
Email: contact@charlesjoguet.com
Web: www.charlesjoguet.com

Fabrice Pizza: tel: 06.63.52.00.43

View from the coteau over the vines and the valley of the Vienne
just to the east of the village of Cravant-les-Coteaux

(14 August 2008)

Bernard is the younger brother of Jean Baudry, father of Christophe Baudry, who is now allied with Jean-Martin Dutour in Baudry-Dutour. Bernard returned from working and studying in Burgundy in 1975 and decided to set up on his own, starting out with just two hectares in Cravant-les-Coteaux, a village about 10 kilometres east of Chinon. About 40% of AC Chinon’s vines are planted in the commune of Cravant.

Matthieu, Bernard’s son, studied in the Mâconnais and then in Bordeaux before undertaking a year’s work experience in Tasmania and California. Matthieu then joined Bernard in running the family domaine in 2000. They now have 30 hectares of vines with parcels on all three of Chinon’s soils – sand, gravel and the clay-limestone coteaux. All planted with Cabernet Franc apart from a small parcel on the coteaux with Chenin Blanc.

Domaine Bernard Baudry is among my top five producers in Chinon.

Part of our tasting was in the new cellar built in 2005. We started with the delicate, peachy and precise Chinon Rosé 2007. Grapes are quickly pressed with only 30 minutes maceration. Production is tiny. Next the Les Granges 2007, the easy drinking cuvée, which sees no wood – instead being fermented and aged in concrete. Soft, round, touch of green pepper, some length – all in all a success for 2007. Les Granges is made from vines on sand and gravel soils, while the next wine, the Domaine, comes from 60% gravel vineyards and 40% on the coteaux. As you would expect the Domaine 2007 is richer and fuller than Les Granges with notes of damson.

We tasted four unfinished 2007. The Clos Guillot from a 4 ha plot (3 in production) on Chinon’s coteau – near the Chêne Vert vineyard and above Le Clos de l’Olive. The particularly promising Les Grezeaux from gravel over clay vineyards at the base of the Coteau de Sonnay and right in front of Bernard’s house. We were lucky to be able to try the cuvée from the small parcel (30 ares) of ungrafted vines in the Clos Guillot. “The vines were planted in 1994,” Matthieu explained. “Unfortunately two thirds of them have now been eaten by phylloxera, which adores clay. We only made three barriques in 2007.” A pity as the wine has a lovely vivacity and finesse with raspberry and cherry flavours. The rich, concentrated and very fine Croix Boisée, which spends a year in barriques and then a further seven months in wooden vats, finished off this very impressive range of 2007s.

We then looked at three finished wines from 2006. The rich and powerfully fruited Domaine 2006 (€7.85 – price to public at the cellar door) – Bernard commented favourably on its freshness. Clos Guillot 2006 (€11) – juicy but currently angular fruit with good length. The rather closed La Croix Boisée has good concentration, structure and mineral character. All three of these wines, especially Guillot and Croix Boisée, will benefit from further time in bottle.

Cabernet Franc at the pea-sized stage
– June 2006 @Cravant-les-Coteaux

There was just time to taste the Chinon Blanc 2007 – rich with a hint of honey and very long. Fermented very slowly in a mix of 300 and 400 litre barrels. “It lacks acidity,” said Bernard. “I prefer not to have a malolactic fermentation. Some of the Chenin is picked when it is still green to give freshness, the rest when they are golden.”

Clutching our bottle of 2003 La Croix Boisée that Bernard very kindly gave us, we headed back to Chinon and our last appointment of the day with Pierre and Bertrand Couly.

Domaine Bernard Baudry, 9 Coteau de Sonnay,
37500 Cravant-les-Coteaux.
Tel: 02.47.93.15.79
Email: bernard-baudry@chinon.com
Web: www.chinon.com/bernard-baudry