Bernard Baudry Chinon Clos Guillot 2020

Who: Bernard Baudry
Where: Loire Valley, France
What: Cabernet Franc

Bernard Baudry is unquestionably one of Chinon’s most outstanding producers. Not only does he have the talent to make delicious and consistent wines, vintage to vintage, but he is also fortunate to have vineyard land that showcases the varied soil types of the appellation. After completing his viticultural studies in Beaune, Bernard returned to the Loire Valley and purchased his first two hectares of land. Over the years, the domaine has grown to 25 hectares and Bernard’s son, Matthieu, has joined the family domaine. The Baudrys are staunch traditionalists, and you would have a hard time finding a Chinon more classic than theirs.

Clos Guillot sits above the town of Chinon, with vines planted between 1993 and 2000. It is a predominantly limestone slope, exposed south to southwest, with an undulation of yellow tuffeau on the lower portion of the slope through to clay on top of the hill.

It is aged for 12 months in old oak barrels, followed by a further 9 months unlined cement vats. Bottling takes place two years after harvest, without filtration.