Domaine Charles Joguet - Chinon Terres Douces 2020

For Anne-Charlotte Genet, the quest for perfectly balanced tannins without any harshness is the key to wines that are enjoyable both young and aged. The result is alluring 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.

Founded in 1957 by Charles Joguet in Sazilly, on the left bank of the Vienne River, this estate has returned to the top of the Chinon appellation—a testament to the team in charge of winemaking and vineyard management, 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 estates in the Loire have such essential flagship wines: Clos de la Dioterie (2 hectares of 80-year-old vines on clay-limestone soils, facing northeast, in Sazilly); Clos du Chêne Vert (2 hectares in the town of Chinon, facing southwest, on a steep slope with clay-limestone and flint-clay soils); 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 wines, they succeed in making Cabernet Franc approachable and refined, without losing the terroir’s character. This is a great quality! These modern Cabernet Francs, both refined and deep, pull off the remarkable feat of remaining approachable, as seen in the 2019, 2020, and now 2021 vintages—among the most ambitious in the Loire!