Bernard Baudry is one of the newer stars of the Chinon scene. A graduate of the Lycée de Beaune, Baudry created his 25-hectare estate out of family parcels and purchased land. He quickly rose to prominence in the appellation for precise, textured Chinon. Baudry is now assisted by his son Matthieu.

We work with four estates that produce Chinon (not to mention the numerous other of our estates that produce different appellations for Loire Valley Cabernet Franc). Each of these Chinon has a separate identity defined by the winemaker’s style. Baudry’s style exemplifies rich, precise fruit picked at perfect ripeness levels and vinified cleanly using state-of-the-art equipment.

The first release and most youthful wine is the Les Granges. This is from young vines (10-15 years old) planted on alluvial soil and gravel near the riverbed. When the Vienne river floods in some springs, Baudry may be found pruning the vines from a boat. This is a wine that is supple and fruity with smoky cherry fruit and is meant to drink young. It is a perfect wine for simple foods and cheeses.

Bernard Baudry

The Cuvée Domaine is a blend of parcels of older vines (30-35 years old) planted in alluvial gravel bed and hillside clay. It has bigger structure and can use a short aging period in bottle before drinking. The wine has deep, dark ruby color and is beautifully extracted.

The Les Grézeaux is from vines of 40 years on average, planted on gravely soil with a bedrock of limestone and clay. The wine is aged in barrique for a time depending on the power of the vintage. It is a beautifully colored wine with lots of extract and supple, velvety tannins. The flavors are cassis and sour cherry with a hint of cigarbox, textbook Chinon without rusticity. This wine has deservedly acquired a cult following throughout France and in the United States.

Along with the wines of Domaine Joguet, Baudry is at the vanguard of a new approach to traditional Chinon: purity and extract. In A Wine & Food Guide to the Loire Valley (the most comprehensive guide to Loire Valley wines yet written), Jacqueline Friedrich writes, “My interest in Loire wines hadn’t gone much further than the tasty “petits Chinons” I habitually drank in the wine bistros of Paris. In four days I changed my mind completely. Not only did my thirst grow for the mouth watering little Chinons, but I found the “serious’ versions made by vignerons like Charles Joguet and Bernard Baudry exhilarating.”