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Bernard Baudry Update, February 2009

After tasting Philippe Alliet's wines at the 2009 Salon it was perhaps only natural that I should gravitate towards the other leading domaine in Chinon, that of Bernard Baudry. If Philippe Alliet's wines, regal as they are, are the kings of this appellation, robust, powerful and firm, then Baudry's are the queens. These are perhaps more elegant wines, more harmonious, graceful, and yet not without the requisite substance to fill the palate, or to prosper in the cellar.

Baudry was not hard to find, as he had taken up residence in a corner position right at the entrance to the main tasting hall, just a short meander from the cloakroom, through the fretwork of stands in the anteroom and corridor leading up to this huge arena. Manning the stand with him was Matthieu, his son, a graduate of Mâcon, Bordeaux, Tasmania and California, as well as his niece who I met when I last visited the domaine in 2008. Having worked numerous stages abroad Matthieu naturally speaks good English, but in order to continue improving my French I stuck with Bernard, who makes up for his limited English with more than the requisite amount of charm. Together we tasted through a range of Baudry bottlings, starting with some just-fermented barrel samples from the 2008 vintage, before moving on to the 2007 vintage, and as most of these were red these too were largely barrel samples, to be bottled later this year, starting with the likes of Les Grezeaux and Clos Guillot which see a year in barrel, finishing with Croix Boisée which will have eighteen months.

Not all the wines were red, however, and this tasting was notable for the opportunity to taste Baudry's two white cuvées, La Domaine and Croix Boisée, side by side. These aren't wines I have extensive experience of. They are each sourced from a 1 hectare plot, both harvested at 20 hl/ha, the distinguishing feature between the two wines being the terroir of origin, as the two wines are treated the same in the cellar. I asked when the white Croix Boisée was introduced to the range, thinking that if it had been recently it might excuse my failure to taste any vintages of it over the last year or two. The answer was 1996. Shame on me.

The wines here, overall, gave lots of pleasure. Having tasted a few lacklustre reds from the 2007 vintage, these wines impressed with their substance, elegance and harmony, their characters very true to the Baudry style. They were somewhat lighter than other previous vintages, across the board, but that is only natural in a year like 2007 I think, and this comment does not imply there is an inadequacy of body or ripe fruit. In fact I was really surprised at Baudry's success in what was a difficult vintage, and he and his team deserve appropriate credit. I asked Baudry which vintage he preferred between 2006 and 2007, wondering if he would expound the difficulties of the latter, but he remained mute in a manner any politically astute Bordeaux proprietor would have been proud of. Teasing me, at one point he started "Je préfère......", and as I waited for the golden nuggets of information to drop from his lips, he finished with "......les deux" (I prefer both). He repeated this several times, a joke I think he enjoyed, before he committed to 2007, favouring the finesse and elegance he finds in these wines. Looking at my scores for the 2007 wines, and for the 2006s I tasted in 2008, it seems to me that (accepting these are score ranges, reflecting the unfinished nature of the wines) I might just have to agree with him. (19/2/09)

Bernard Baudry, February 2009 - Tasting Notes

The wines below were tasted in Angers at the Salon des Vins de Loire in February 2009. All my notes on the wines of Bernard Baudry, including those below, are collated under my Bernard Baudry profile. Click to locate stockists.

Bernard Baudry Chinon Blanc 2008: This is a barrique sample, and has a cloudy appearance. Lots of sweet fruit on the nose, especially pears and stone fruit. It has a lovely depth, flattering texture and a broad and stylish mouthfilling weight. There is a little note of nut alongside the fruit. This is delightful and it has plenty of potential; I suspect it will be much more attractive than the 2007 given time. 16-17+/20

Bernard Baudry Chinon Blanc La Croix Boisée 2008: Another barrel sample, and the youthful nature of this wine shows on the nose which has a yeasty blend of fresh fruits. The palate impresses with its purity and presence though, with a creamy character, although not a rich-creamy, more a pure, silky, intensely pure-creamy, well framed by a good, precise acidity. This has super potential. 16.5-17.5+/20

Bernard Baudry Chinon Les Granges 2008: Another barrel sample. Stony fruit on the nose here, with a bright and fresh character, tinged with smoke. Nicely textured, soft and rounded, although the midpalate seems very diffuse and pillowy. Underneath though there is good grip and acidity. It does seem a little detached and unfocused at the moment though. 14.5-15.5+?/20

Bernard Baudry Chinon Blanc 2007: Clean fruit, but rather inexpressive compared to the two 2008s. Lovely freshness on the palate though, and a clean, middleweight texture. An attractive style, fairly reserved although there is a little spice there. Quite pure, elegantly textured, not showing a lot of aromatic character although I suspect that will come with time, and it does have a fine poise and grip. This is nice wine. 15+/20

Bernard Baudry Chinon Les Granges 2007: Fermented in stainless steel. This has vibrant, jolly fruit on the nose, sprinkled with a little black pepper. The palate is just as attractive, showing bright, fresh, lifted, crisp fruit character. Although clearly from a lighter vintage it has a really good freshness and style, and with that in mind it displays a lovely quality. Good wine. 15.5+/20

Bernard Baudry Chinon 2007: The "Cuvée Domaine", an assemblage of wine from gravel and limestone slopes. This is less open and expressive on the nose than Les Granges, and it shows a slightly darker profile of fruit. It still has life and vivacity though, with a good freshness to it. A nicely judged composition, with attractive fruit and depth, this cuvée is clearly the work of a skilled winemaker. Really rather good indeed. 16+/20

Bernard Baudry Chinon Les Grezeaux 2007: Fermented in cement cuves, 100% destemmed fruit, will spend one year in wood and be bottled this coming April. This is a clear step up from the Cuvée Domaine, showing bright, lifted, crunchy red fruits on the nose, and a beautifully textured nicely defined style on the palate. Despite the wine's gravelly origins there is good structure beneath too, and good fleshy fruit. A very attractive wine. 16-16.5+/20

Bernard Baudry Chinon Clos Guillot 2007: This is fermented in cement and wood, and then goes into barrique for one year. A great colour here, dark fruit on the nose, ripe and impressive in style. This is true of the palate also, which is balanced but creamy, sweetly textured, flattering but still youthful. There is a ripe, but firm structure, and a good grip of tannin which is a well-formed match for the fruit. A lovely wine. 16.5-17+/20

Bernard Baudry Chinon La Croix Boisée 2007: Here the fruit is from a limestone terroir, fermented in wood with pigeage à pied and this is followed up by 18 months in barrel. A lovely, pure deep fruit character here, with great density. There is rich black cherry fruit, rich extract although also firm acidity, grip and structure. This has fine style and is impressive for the vintage, fresh but still a wine of substance. 16.5-17+/20