Charles Joguet - Les Petites Roches 2014

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Les Petites Roches stands out for its freshness and precision, with lively, crisp fruit that will delight lovers of crisp, floral Cabernet—without a hint of herbaceousness.

About the estate:

For Anne-Charlotte Genet, the pursuit of perfectly balanced tannins that are smooth and unobtrusive is the key to producing wines that are enjoyable both young and aged. The result is a range of captivating wines that embody charm, complexity, sensuality, and great refinement. With a rare insight into the vineyard and the winemaking process, this estate represents the very best of the Chinon region.

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

About the estate:

Founded in 1957 by Charles Joguet in Sazilly, on the left bank of the Vienne River, this estate has returned to the pinnacle of the Chinon appellation—a testament to the team overseeing winemaking and the vineyards, selected by owner Jacques Genet. They maintain a high standard of excellence, given the estate’s size. Above all, the winemakers have revived a vibrant spirit of freshness in their great Cabernet wines, which are unique in that they are grown on northeast-facing slopes. Few Loire estates possess such essential flagship wines: Clos de la Dioterie (2 hectares of 80-year-old vines on clay-limestone soils, northeast-facing, in Sazilly), Clos du Chêne Vert (2 hectares in the town of Chinon, southwest-facing, steep slope, clay-limestone and flinty clay), Les Varennes du Grand Clos (4.5 hectares in Sazilly), aged eighteen months in barrels followed by ten months in bottles before release. As for the entry-level cuvées, they succeed in making Cabernet Franc accessible and refined, without losing the terroir’s essence. This is a great quality! These modern Cabernet Francs, both refined and deep, achieve the feat of retaining their approachable character, as seen in the 2019, 2020, and now 2021 vintages—among the most ambitious in the Loire!

Wine Enthusiast