A dry Cabernet Franc from Chinon in the Loire Valley – succulent red fruit meets earthy depth and fine tannin, certified organic and produced by one of the appellation’s most renowned estates.
22,00 €29,33 € / l
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Luminous ruby red with violet reflections in the glass.
Nose
Redcurrant and raspberry, accompanied by a hint of cassis, delicate herbal spice and a subtly earthy note with hints of graphite.
Palate
Succulent and fresh on the palate, with vibrant fruit, fine-grained tannin and a saline minerality that recalls the limestone- and tuffeau-dominated soils.
Character
Elegant and precise – Chinon at its finest, driven by terroir rather than winemaker ego; already accessible in its youth, yet with the potential for several years of ageing.
Pairing
Pairs wonderfully with rillettes and terrines, grilled vegetables with herbs de Provence or a rustic lentil dish.
Notes
From an estate that, back in 1957, was the first in Chinon to vinify each parcel individually and was named the best estate in the appellation by Michel Bettane in 2020; certified organic since 2016, with malolactic fermentation in cask for particular harmony and clarity of fruit.
Tasting note
Character
A Cabernet Franc that reveals Chinon in its accessible yet serious guise: succulent red fruit – redcurrant, a hint of cassis – complemented by earthy depth and a fine-grained tannin that lends structure without dominating. Dry, with 13.5% abv and a pleasing freshness, this is a wine for the table and for the patient alike: young, it is fruit-driven in a Bordeaux glass, gaining complexity over the years – at which point cellar master Kevin Fontaine recommends a Burgundy glass.
Terroir & Origin
Domaine Charles Joguet in Chinon on the Loire cultivates 35 hectares – 30 of them planted to Cabernet Franc. Its founder, Charles Joguet, once a painter and sculptor, took over the family estate in 1957 and was the first in the appellation to vinify each parcel individually, following the Burgundian model. The soils alternate between sand, which yields crisp fruit, clay lending dark spice, and limestone providing saline minerality. Beneath them lie centuries-old, hand-hewn tuffeau cellars whose temperature fluctuates by less than half a degree over the course of a year – ideal conditions for peaceful ageing.
Grape Variety & Vinification
Cabernet Franc is the true protagonist here – the quintessential Loire variety, shifting between fruit, spice and graphite depending on the soil. Since 2008, the estate has carried out malolactic fermentation in cask, lending the wines suppleness and clarity of fruit. The organic certification since 2016 merely formalised what had long been established practice there. Kevin Fontaine, cellar master since 2006, sums up the ambition thus: the wines should speak of the terroir, not of the winemaker.
Food Pairings
The combination of freshness, fruit and fine tannin makes this Chinon a versatile food wine: classically paired with Rillettes de Tours, duck breast or grilled lamb chops, but equally good with stuffed peppers, mushroom dishes or a slice of Sainte-Maure de Touraine. Served slightly chilled, at 14 to 16 degrees, it shows particular vitality – and those who grant it a few years in the cellar will be rewarded with darker spice and greater depth.
