We work with four estates that produce Chinon (not to mention the numerous other of our estates that produce different appellations for Loire Valley Cabernet Franc). Each of these Chinon has a separate identity defined by the winemaker’s style. Baudry’s style exemplifies rich, precise fruit picked at perfect ripeness levels and vinified cleanly using state-of-the-art equipment.

The first release and most youthful wine is the Les Granges. This is from young vines (10-15 years old) planted on alluvial soil and gravel near the riverbed. When the Vienne river floods in some springs, Baudry may be found pruning the vines from a boat. This is a wine that is supple and fruity with smoky cherry fruit and is meant to drink young. It is a perfect wine for simple foods and cheeses.

Bernard Baudry

The Cuvée Domaine is a blend of parcels of older vines (30-35 years old) planted in alluvial gravel bed and hillside clay. It has bigger structure and can use a short aging period in bottle before drinking. The wine has deep, dark ruby color and is beautifully extracted.

The Les Grézeaux is from vines of 40 years on average, planted on gravely soil with a bedrock of limestone and clay. The wine is aged in barrique for a time depending on the power of the vintage. It is a beautifully colored wine with lots of extract and supple, velvety tannins. The flavors are cassis and sour cherry with a hint of cigarbox, textbook Chinon without rusticity. This wine has deservedly acquired a cult following throughout France and in the United States.

Along with the wines of Domaine Joguet, Baudry is at the vanguard of a new approach to traditional Chinon: purity and extract. In A Wine & Food Guide to the Loire Valley (the most comprehensive guide to Loire Valley wines yet written), Jacqueline Friedrich writes, “My interest in Loire wines hadn’t gone much further than the tasty “petits Chinons” I habitually drank in the wine bistros of Paris. In four days I changed my mind completely. Not only did my thirst grow for the mouth watering little Chinons, but I found the “serious’ versions made by vignerons like Charles Joguet and Bernard Baudry exhilarating.”

A.O.C Chinon "Les Granges":
Soil: Mixed gravel and sand with clay-silica subsoils.
Grape: Cabernet Franc
Vines: 6 h parcel in the commune of Cravant. Vines planted between 1985 and 1988.
Vinification: Fermented 15 days in vats then aged 7 months in barrel. Bottled in Spring.
A.O.C Chinon "Clos Guillot":
Soil: Limestone hill exposed South-South West. Heavy clay at the top, yellow limestone at the bottom of the plot.
Grape: Cabernet Franc
Vines: Planted between 1993 and 2000 in the commune of Chinon.
Vinification: Fermented 15 days in in wooden vats with regular pigeages. Aged in barrel that have seen 2 to 5 vintages for 12 months.

A.O.C Chinon "La Croix Boissée":
Soil: Clay-limestone on slopes shaped by severe erosion.
Grape: Cabernet Franc
Vinification: Fermentation for 20 to 30 days in wooden vats with regular pigeages. Aged in new oak (1 to 3 years) for 12 to 14 months.

A.O.C Chinon "Franc de Pied"

A.O.C Chinon "Rosé"

A.O.C Chinon Blanc

A.O.C Chinon "La Croix Boissée" Blanc