Pichard-Jourdan Chinon Rose 2014
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In 2012 Francis and Annick Jourdan left their home in Normandy to start a new life in Chinon. They were cereal farmers and grain brokers with a passion for the vine, so much so that Francis actually tried to get the rights to plant a vineyard near Caen but could not persuade the authorities to let him (he admits that he has two feet in the soil but a head sometimes in the clouds). Consequently, they jumped at the chance to exchange the production of grains for the production of wine when the opportunity came in the form of Philippe Pichard, who was the fifth generation to run his family’s domain in Chinon. But he had no heir, and when the Jourdans offered to buy into the domain as partners, he agreed.
Pichard went organic in 2000 and received Demeter certification for biodynamic farming in 2010. The Jourdans embraced the philosophy—it was their wish to make wines as naturally as possible—and the only change they made was to add white to the domain’s red by planting one acre of Chenin Blanc. That happened in 2013, and they planted it on a highly regarded hillside known as La Croix Boissée, where Domaine Bernard Baudry has its parcel of Chenin. The slope is particularly dense with limestone and perfect for Chenin.
Today the domain farms 44 acres of vines divided into 20 parcels. Nearly 80% of the vines are within a mile and a quarter of the winery, which lies in the eastern part of the Chinon appellation near the village of Cravant-les-Côteaux. The parcels are predominately on the plain near the Vienne River and extend up to the plateau above Cravant. Their vines grow in gravels as well as in clay and limestone soils. All vines are harvested by hand and all grapes are de-stemmed.
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.
An important red wine appellation in the Touraine district of the Loire, Chinon produces fanciful, light-bodied reds from the Cabernet Franc grape. Chinon also makes charming rosés from the same grape as well as white wines from Chenin blanc. But the reds give the area its fame. Often scented with fresh herbs, black tea and violets, Chinon reds show a lovely combination of fruit and acidity. However, styles have become more concentrated and ripe in recent years from improvements in vineyard management. Modern methods include planting grass between vineyard rows, using higher trellises and deleafing to increase sunlight to berries and therefore improve ripening. Even still, red Chinon is intended to be a light to medium bodied, refreshing wine to be enjoyed in its youth.
Fuller-bodied Chinons come from vineyard sites on the clay and tuffeau limestone slopes, usually from the southern exposed slopes of Cravant-les-Coteaux, and the plateau above Beaumont. Lighter styled wines come from the sand and gravel vineyards near the Loire or Vienne Rivers with the most refined examples coming from the area around Panzoult