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Charles Joguet
A painter who made vineyards speak. Charles Joguet took over the family estate in Chinon in 1957 and revolutionised the appellation: instead of blending the grapes, he vinified each parcel separately – a method he had adopted from Burgundy. Domaine Charles Joguet today manages 35 hectares, of which 30 hectares are Cabernet Franc and 5 hectares Chenin Blanc. Since 2016, the entire winery has been certified organic. Cellar Master Kevin Fontaine continues the philosophy: wines that express their terroir, not the winemaker. The red wines combine juicy fruit with earthy depth and fine tannins – Chinon in its most elegant form.
More about Charles Joguet
From Artist to Winemaker
When his father died in 1957, Charles Joguet faced a choice: art academy or vineyard. He chose both. The young painter and sculptor brought a fresh perspective: why should Chinon sell its grapes to négociants when the soils were so diverse? He began vinifying each vineyard site separately – Clos de la Dioterie, Clos du Chêne Vert, Les Varennes du Grand Clos. What had long been standard in Burgundy was considered revolutionary on the Loire. Michel Bettane called the domaine in 2020 "the finest winery in Chinon".
Terroir in Tuffeau
The cellars extend across an entire hectare – hand-hewn caves of tuffeau stone, centuries old, with tool marks on the walls. The temperature fluctuates less than half a degree per year. Above them lie the vineyards: the Clos de la Dioterie with its 90-year-old vines on limestone, the Clos du Chêne Vert with an oak tree planted by Benedictine monks in the 12th century. Each parcel tells a different story – sand brings crisp fruit, clay dark spice, limestone the saline minerality.
New Generation, Same Philosophy
In 1985 Charles Joguet handed over to the Genet family; in 1997 came the complete sale. Anne-Charlotte Genet now leads marketing, her father Jacques runs the business. Kevin Fontaine, born in Saumur, arrived in 2006 as cellarmaster – after stints in New Zealand, South Africa and Canada. "We want our wines to tell the story of terroir, not of us," he says. Since 2008 malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel, enhancing harmony and fruit clarity. Organic certification since 2016 was merely the formalisation of what had long been practice.
Cabernet Franc for the Patient
The wines need time. The Les Varennes du Grand Clos shows red currant and a hint of cassis after years, the Clos de la Dioterie develops chocolate and graphite. Château de Coulaine works similarly in the neighbourhood – both estates have put Chinon on the map of serious red wines. Kevin Fontaine recommends a Bordeaux glass for young wines, a Burgundy glass for mature ones: "With age they gain in complexity." What Charles Joguet began as an artist, his team perfects as craft.