Bernard Baudry - Chinon La Croix Boissée 2021

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

Mathieu Baudry has truly come to appreciate this exemplary estate in Cravant, which also cultivates the black truffle (Melanosporum). His father, Bernard, continues to lend his support both in the vineyard and in the cellar. They have built their reputation on Cabernet Franc wines with aging potential—vibrant, dense, and long-finishing—at an estate that comprises 30 hectares cultivated organically. The wines are named after the terroirs that produce them and remain affordably priced. Les-Granges blends grapes from gravelly and clay soils to produce a supple, fresh wine, while Les-Grézeaux, grown on siliceous clay soils, boasts beautiful finesse and a structure that allows the wine to age well. With greater depth, La-Croix-Boissée offers a wine with a tannic core derived from the clay-limestone soils. The vines of Clos Guillot produce a full-bodied, smooth, and rich wine, ideal for long-term aging. A superb estate that produced an excellent 2019 vintage.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

Aged for two years in used barrels and an additional nine months in tanks, the 2021 Chinon La Croix Boissée reveals a complex bouquet of plums, blackberries, spices, and smoke, interwoven with rich, meaty notes. Medium-bodied to full-bodied, layered and textured, it is finely crafted and taut, with an enveloping core of fruit and structured, firm tannins that give way to a meaty finish. Although the phenolics slightly detract from the powdery, delicate texture of the tannins, the wine remains well-balanced.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

It is rare for Chinon wines to achieve the depth and velvety texture of the 2021 La Croix Boissée: a magnificent, refined wine with great texture. Aged for over two years in barrels, it is very much in the tradition of the very finest Chinon wines suitable for aging.

About the estate:

Bernard Baudry seeks to bring out the silky, refined character of Chinon wines while remaining as true as possible to their terroir. This approach, which he pursues alongside his son Matthieu, is complemented by organic certification and has inspired them to plant ungrafted vines—grown from rootstock for the past 10 years (following Charles Joguet’s plantings in the 1980s)—as well as to establish vineyards on forgotten terroirs, such as the excellent Clos Guillot. La Croix Boissée (a clay-limestone terroir in Cravant-les-Coteaux), built for aging, possesses an extra touch of velvety smoothness and, in hot vintages, a hint of sweetness that could delight Saint-Émilion enthusiasts. This cuvée naturally ranks among the top reds of Touraine; be mindful, however, of the animal notes found in certain vintages.

Wine Enthusiast