Winemaker Notes
Their one acre of Chenin is planted in 2013 on the limestone hillside of La Croix Boissée climbing up to the plateau above Cravant. La Croix Boissée's local reputation was such that it was the first lieu-dit officially recognized by the Chinon syndicate (this, back in the last century). The site spreads across 42 acres of the flank overlooking the plain and river, and boasts 17 growers. Francis lets the wine ferment naturally in old demi-muids, and stirs the lees, racks, and bottles according to the lunar cycle.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This rare white Chinon is a chameleon in a glass. The perfumed wine opens with a candied nose of honeycomb, dried apple slice, bruised orange peel, banana, honeydew melon and white-nectarine skin. The wine is surprisingly bone-dry on the palate with an underbelly of tart-green fruit that defies the nose while being supported by a robust core of acidity.
Unquestionably one of the most diverse grape varieties, Chenin Blanc can do it all. It shines in every style from bone dry to unctuously sweet, oaked or unoaked, still or sparkling and even as the base for fortified wines and spirits. Perhaps Chenin Blanc’s greatest asset is its ever-present acidity, maintained even under warm growing conditions. Somm Secret—Landing in South Africa in the mid 1800s, today the country has double the acreage of Chenin Blanc planted compared to France. There is also a new wave of dedicated producers committed to restoring old Chenin vines.
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