Domaine Bernard Baudry
La Croix Boissée Chinon Cabernet Franc
Chinon, Touraine, Loire Valley, France
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
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
Unusually pretty pour - the way Cab Franc and Syrah tend to do. Deep purple satin ribbons with an oily finish. I love it. La Croix Boissée is about power, structure, restrained elegance. Today, that is. I think this wine opens and blooms with a few more years to get affiliated with itself.
In 2022 she's relatively shy and very structured with notes of graphite and pencil shavings enveloped in red and blackberries, sweet prune. You can sense that more fruit is hiding, waiting to explode. Lots of scaffolding to break down. Tannin, chalk, silk lining underneath.
This is a wine with lots of potential. I have two, see you again in 2033.
Unusually pretty pour - the way Cab Franc and Syrah tend to do. Deep purple satin ribbons with an oily finish. I love it. La Croix Boissée is about power, structure, restrained elegance. Today, that is. I think this wine opens and blooms with a few more years to get affiliated with itself.
In 2022 she's relatively shy and very structured with notes of graphite and pencil shavings enveloped in red and blackberries, sweet prune. You can sense that more fruit is hiding, waiting to explode. Lots of scaffolding to break down. Tannin, chalk, silk lining underneath.
This is a wine with lots of potential. I have two, see you again in 2033.
