Bernard Baudry Chinon La Croix Boissée 2018

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

La Croix Boisée, the domaine’s top cuvée, hails from a parcel of 30- to 50-year-old vines on very chalky, white limestone soils above Baudry’s cellars in Cravant-les-Côteaux. Here, the south-facing aspect, altitude and soil produce Chinon’s longest-living and most elegant wines. It’s a site that Baudry believes suits Burgundian-style élevage, although the wine sees no new oak. The fruit ferments naturally in open wooden casks is followed by 18 months maturation in old Burgundian pièces. The wine is bottled without filtration.

About Bernard Baudry

Baudry makes some of Chinon’s finest wines: 100% Cabernet Franc from a range of superb, organically tended terroirs.

These wines are the perfect antidote to the oceans of homogenised wines that exist in the world today. They are the product of dedicated farming and humble winemaking, which seeks to faithfully express a unique sense of place.

Mattheiu Baudry, the winery’s second generation, believes that the quality of a wine is closely linked to the work taking place in the vineyard. Blessed by a great diversity of soils across their vineyard, Matthieu applies what he describes as ‘piecemeal winemaking’; that is to say that he harvests and vinifies grapes from each plot separately. This is complemented by minimal intervention winemaking – manual harvest, gravity transfers, natural fermentation, gentle elevage – in order to respect the origins and characteristics of each terroir

“While they are sometimes labelled traditionalists, I find them to be more naturalists. Everything here is organic, harvested by hand and bottled without fining or filtration. In any case, theirs is a style that I admire: they make cabernet franc taste as suave and succulent as pinot noir.” Joel B. Payne, Vinous

“Bernard Baudry is, here and now, one of the leading domaines of the appellation. Some would say the leading domaine of the appellation. The wines are of exceptionally high quality…” Chris Kissack, The Wine Doctor

About Cabernet Franc

In Australia Cabernet Franc is often referred to as a weed making green insipid wines. As always there are exceptions. Cabernet Franc from the Chinon is another beast altogether. More a beauty really. The wines can have incredible delicacy, perfume, and thirst-quenching character. Silky textures and layered complexity come from the best wines. They often have a slight pencil shaving character that sits wonderfully in the wines. For anyone who may not be aware of Cabernet Franc‘s wily charms or who believes that this grape incapable of producing fabulous wines, Chinon is the place to look!

In the Vineyard

The Domain has 32 hectares of vineyards spread across the AOC Chinon, in Cravant les Coteaux and Chinon. The grape is grown primarily Cabernet Franc (90%) plus a small production of Chenin Blanc (about 10%). The vineyards are located on very varied terroirs of gravel in the plain, limestone clay on coteau and sandy limestones plateaus. This diversity offers us the possibility of applying piecemeal winemaking.

The vineyard has always been maintained according to environmentally friendly methods (no chemical weed killers) guided by observation and common sense depending on the climatic conditions of the year.

The entire vineyard is now conducted in organic farming since 2006.
A compost that we maintain ourselves based on cow manure and straw helps rebalance the organic matter in our soils. Phytosanitary interventions are mainly limited to the use of copper, sulfur and natural plants such as horsetail and nettles.

They control the growth of the vine by partial disbudding but we are looking at what is the vine find itself its own production of balance according to the richness of the soil and climate of the year.

The 2018 Vintage at Bernard Baudry

Vintage report from Bernard Baudry

“Magnifique!”

In 2018 winter and springtime were rather mild, with enough rainfall to recharge groundwater which was rather low after 2017. Unlike the two previous vintages there was no Spring frost which, from a financial point of view, was quite a relief.

Later on, from late May to early July, we had close to tropical weather. We had to treat repeatedly to prevent downy mildew, but unfortunately the disease destroyed a large proportion of bunches before véraison Blooming was early again, as in 2017, and budbreak was rather promising. From then on, the summer was warm and dry with only 40mm rainfall between 20 July and mid-September. The vines nourished the grapes throughout the summer despite a mild dry spell, particularly on alluvial deposits.

We had another very early harvest: the Chenins were picked as early as 12 September and the Cabernets around 18 September. Sugar levels were exceptionally high between 13 and 14.5 % by volume tartaric acid levels were also high. The 2018s are complete and expressive throughout the range, with magnificent balance, the richness in alcohol is contained by the wines’ freshness and a savoury lingering.

The volumes produced will also give many vignerons some breathing space after the frosts of 2016 and 2017. However, one thing is clear: the last 30 years (1988 -2018), have seen temperatures rise by 1°C between March and September, and grapes have gained 3% alcoholic content while acidity dropped by 4g/L (H2SO4). Global warming is undeniable, grape harvest takes place earlier (1 to 2 weeks), and we regularly make wines with over 13% alcohol. This still has a good side, and favours the expression of Cabernets Francs but may be cause for concern for the future and for our planet…

Where in the world is Bernard Baudry?

The Loire Valley is scattered over 175,000 acres stretching from the Atlantic Ocean across to central France. Cover such a large region it is natural that it’s been broken down into sub-regions that specialise in the growing of specific varieties. Baudry is in the middle-Loire in the village of Chinon.

The Loire Valley Wine Group produced a quirky little primer for the regions, varieties and styles produced across the Loire Valley.