Bernard Baudry ‘Le Clos Guillot’ Chinon Cabernet Franc - Loire Valley, France
Producer's Notes:
Le Clos Guillot is refined. With its aromas of sour cherries and black fruit, it can show characters of Pinot Noir sometimes. It has length and freshness. It can be enjoyed from 2 years in bottle and can age 10 to 15 years.
What we say:
A beautifully structured and terroir-driven Chinon, ‘Le Clos Guillot’ comes from one of the appellation’s finest hillside sites, where clay and limestone soils give Cabernet Franc both depth and mineral precision. It opens with layered aromas of black cherry, plum and blackberry alongside violet, graphite, dried herbs and a subtle earthy, smoky edge. As the winemakers say above, there’s a certain Pinot-like refinement to the aromatics, but with the savoury complexity and tension that Loire Cabernet Franc does so well.
The palate is medium-bodied yet quietly powerful, with vibrant acidity and fine, chalky tannins creating structure without heaviness. Sourced from organically farmed vines planted on south-facing slopes in Cravant-les-Côteaux, the wine is fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged largely in older oak to preserve purity and site expression over overt winemaking influence. The result is a wine that balances dark fruit, freshness and minerality with remarkable poise, finishing long, savoury and stony.
Grape Variety: Cabernet Franc
Style: Red – Medium-bodied, structured, mineral-driven
Drink Window: Now – 12+ years
Perfect For: Lamb, duck, mushroom dishes, charcuterie, Loire-inspired cuisine
A benchmark Chinon - serious, age-worthy and deeply expressive of place, showing Cabernet Franc at its most refined and compelling.
