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Tasting Notes
Medium-bodied with plus acidity and pronounced tannins, the Baudry Chinon will require some patience to show its full personality but it is already intriguing, with heady cigar box aromas followed on the palate by black currant, red cherry, tobacco, leather, smokey minerals, and spice.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
TANNIN
Low
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Tannin can range greatly in wine, but it is necessary to some degree, and a necessary constituent for red wines to age well. In high amounts, it can cause a drying affect, which is sensed mostly on the gums and tongue. Tannin is a natural preservative extracted from grape skins, otherwise known as polyphenols that are micronutrients and antioxidants with potential health benefits.
ACIDITY
Soft
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
13%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
Cab Franc as a sole varietal can be tough, Baudry is one of the producers who shows the juice is definitely worth the squeeze.
GRAPE VARIETAL(S)
Cabernet Franc
100%Ca-ber-NAY FRANK
Cabernet Franc is grown all over the world, but the best expressions are generally found in France, specifically in the Loire, South West, and Bordeaux as a key part of many blends. Medium bodied and more aromatic than Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc’s aromas can have an herbaceous tinge depending on the ripeness level.
Bernard Baudry bought his first two hectares in 1975 in Cravant-les-Côteaux and has now expanded to 32 hectares within Chinon. Now retired, Bernard’s son Matthieu, who joined his father in 2000, manages the property.
Baudry wines are traditional Chinon with several different cuvées that represent the various terroirs, especially differences in soil and vineyard age. Les Granges is the most youthful, easy-drinking Cru while the Domaine Cru is made from older vines and is a bit more extracted and complex. Les Grézeaux and Clos Guillot are often barrique aged, and La Croix Boissée, their Grand Cru vineyard, is the most age-worthy, also frequently barrique aged for two years before bottling.
Baudry wines are focused, traditional wines that often exhibit the variable structure and intensity of cabernet franc based on the individual cuvée, while also given to characterization by a mix of black cherry, spice, and herbs. They also make a fantastic rosé that combines both floral and mineral qualities in a taut structure.
Black Currant
Spice Box
Tobacco
Organic
