Bernard Baudry Chinon AOC 'Les Grézeaux' 2020

While Domaine Bernard Baudry is a relatively young estate, it's among the rising stars of Chinon! Fresh out of wine school in Beaune in 1982, Bernard Baudry began with two hectares in Cravant-lés-Coteaux, gradually building it to its current 32 hectares. 90% of his estate is planted to cabernet franc, with the other 10% devoted to chenin blanc. Bernard's son, Mathieu, who has assisted his father since 2000, finally took over the reins upon Bernard's retirement, but the two men still work side by side to produce standard-setting wines in Chinon. The estate has been certified organic since 2006 but farmed without chemicals and with homemade compost for far longer than that. The approach in both vineyard and cellar is traditional, using only estate-grown fruit, hand harvested, destemmed, moved by gravity, and fermented with indigenous yeasts in a mix of cement and old barrels before aging takes place in vat and used barrique. Wines are bottled with minimal sulfur. Baudry's wines are renowned for precision, concentration, and texture, and are arguably among the finest of the region. 'Les Grézeaux' is the oldest of Baudry's vineyards; the vines are 25 years old, planted on gravelly soils partway up the slope. The wine opens with aromas of forest and roasted red pepper. A smooth texture frames dark plum on the palate, with black pepper on the finish and well-integrated tannins. Certified organic, low-intervention/natural wine, vegan.