Domaine Bernard Baudry
La Croix Boissée Chinon Cabernet Franc
Chinon, Touraine, Loire Valley, France
Sage, thyme, red cherry tomato red currant red plums smoke pepper amaro BITTERS. Wild herbs and underbush. Minerality. Drinks like a northern Italian wine…
Sage, thyme, red cherry tomato red currant red plums smoke pepper amaro BITTERS. Wild herbs and underbush. Minerality. Drinks like a northern Italian wine…
Aug 9th, 2024Good material but seemed slightly muted—will revisit day 2.
Good material but seemed slightly muted—will revisit day 2.
Aug 18th, 2023
Everything about this is massive and absolutely closed down now, compared to just a few months ago. Tremendous volume, texture, acid and tannins on the palate. Hard to get a whisper on the nose other than firm granite for the first 24 hours, but it’s pretty apparent this is a 30 year wine. Let’s check in in 10.
Everything about this is massive and absolutely closed down now, compared to just a few months ago. Tremendous volume, texture, acid and tannins on the palate. Hard to get a whisper on the nose other than firm granite for the first 24 hours, but it’s pretty apparent this is a 30 year wine. Let’s check in in 10.
Oct 22nd, 2021
La Croix Boissée is a vineyard that slopes up from the valley floor to the Chinon plateau close to Baudry's domaine. The result in the 2017 Chinon is a mid-weight, elegant style offering dried herbs and smoked bacon – it's a hint reduction that needs air. The finish is much more powerful than anticipated; there's no shortage of tannins here, but they have the finest of powdery textures, making you lick the inside of your mouth (that's the limestone of Croix Boissée that you see year after year). The lengthy finish is infused with spices – expect a hint of herbs, tea leaf and smoke. (Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, October 2021)
La Croix Boissée is a vineyard that slopes up from the valley floor to the Chinon plateau close to Baudry's domaine. The result in the 2017 Chinon is a mid-weight, elegant style offering dried herbs and smoked bacon – it's a hint reduction that needs air. The finish is much more powerful than anticipated; there's no shortage of tannins here, but they have the finest of powdery textures, making you lick the inside of your mouth (that's the limestone of Croix Boissée that you see year after year). The lengthy finish is infused with spices – expect a hint of herbs, tea leaf and smoke. (Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, October 2021)
The ripeness of the 2018 vintage gives an almost Syrah/Viognier character to the Chinon La Croix Boissée, which offers sweet black fruit and a creamy apricot note. Sumptuous yet never ever opulent, it's almost as if the wine's just done a yoga class. Plentiful tannins give the inside of your cheeks a chalky rub, while there's surprising freshness considering the ripeness, leading to a lengthy finish. This is a baby that will turn out to be a great adult. (Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, October 2021)
The ripeness of the 2018 vintage gives an almost Syrah/Viognier character to the Chinon La Croix Boissée, which offers sweet black fruit and a creamy apricot note. Sumptuous yet never ever opulent, it's almost as if the wine's just done a yoga class. Plentiful tannins give the inside of your cheeks a chalky rub, while there's surprising freshness considering the ripeness, leading to a lengthy finish. This is a baby that will turn out to be a great adult. (Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, October 2021)
Stellar. A touch of that pretty Chinon violet flower and manure funk. St. Emilion-like concentration but this isn’t inky or extracted in the least. Luxurious, satin-like texture and tannins, with a subtly sweet finish. Feels a bit higher alcohol than classic Chinon vintages, but on the basis of the massive concentration and nascent complexity this will develop very well. Young but already approachable.
Stellar. A touch of that pretty Chinon violet flower and manure funk. St. Emilion-like concentration but this isn’t inky or extracted in the least. Luxurious, satin-like texture and tannins, with a subtly sweet finish. Feels a bit higher alcohol than classic Chinon vintages, but on the basis of the massive concentration and nascent complexity this will develop very well. Young but already approachable.
Jun 9th, 2021
Incredibly earthy right out of the gate with dark cherry fruit and dried herbs, quite savory and dusty and all the more beautiful for it. Dried sage and river mud linger in the finish with the scent of blackberries.
Incredibly earthy right out of the gate with dark cherry fruit and dried herbs, quite savory and dusty and all the more beautiful for it. Dried sage and river mud linger in the finish with the scent of blackberries.
Mar 28th, 2021Grown on very chalky soils, and aged 24 months in 1- to 3-year-old barrels. Vivid ruby. Expressive, even flamboyant, nose of ripe cherry and berry, kirsch and cassis, and even a touch of chocolate. Open and rather hedonistic for Cabernet Franc, with lots of red and black fruit, and it wows the palate with freshness and swirling acidity. But it’s balanced by dancing notes of chalk, talc and graphite, and great finesse on the finish. (Jason Wilson, Vinous, July 2020)
Grown on very chalky soils, and aged 24 months in 1- to 3-year-old barrels. Vivid ruby. Expressive, even flamboyant, nose of ripe cherry and berry, kirsch and cassis, and even a touch of chocolate. Open and rather hedonistic for Cabernet Franc, with lots of red and black fruit, and it wows the palate with freshness and swirling acidity. But it’s balanced by dancing notes of chalk, talc and graphite, and great finesse on the finish. (Jason Wilson, Vinous, July 2020)
Pretty special already. For lovers of both hedonistic fruit and hedonistic chalkiness!
Pretty special already. For lovers of both hedonistic fruit and hedonistic chalkiness!
Oct 2nd, 2019