TN: 2015 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon La Croix Boissée

• 2015 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon La Croix Boissée - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon (9/26/2020)
  Decanted 6 hrs. Started off a bit funky and with a slightly fecal scent, but after about 2 hrs. this rounded into form. In fact, this smelled more to my ideal of Bordeaux than most young Bordeaux I have had lately, with its great mix of tobacco leaves, earth and a touch of flowery dark fruit. As to the rest, I found this primary but quite accessible and drinking well. Primarily in the red fruit spectrum, but would occasionally produce a well defined cherry note. This worked really well off the leafy and gravely traits, and avoided any greenness, or very little. Very fresh, this closes with confidence and I am thrilled to see where this will be in 10 Years +. (93 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Delighted to see this note: I have just acquired a case from France, & not yet tried a bottle.

Sounds very promising, Dale - thanks for posting!

I have this too! Cool stuff, thanks.

Money note! Thanks for the check-in.

Thanks for the TN.

I found the 2015 to be the most accessible, lush, young-drinking Le Grezeaux among it’s run of vintages from 2014 to 2017. Good to note its progress.

edited: Didn’t mean to be out of context with Grezeaux interjection. Slipped my mind that the subject was Croix Boissee.

We had the 2010 Croix Boissee with the 2007 VCC blind some months ago and everybody preferred the CB

I found it to be scary good earlier this year. One of those wines that seems to electrify the mind and body.

Strong endorsements here for the 2010 LCB. Don’t have many, but am inclined to pull a bottle from remote storage.

Thank you all for the replies!

I wanted to add this was my first Baudry, and came on radar to me via the fine folks here at WB. I also scored some of the 16 Clos Guillot from Martin S for some absurdly low price at $25.

Perhaps Sam said it best: “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”

Congratulations, Dale, for losing your Baudry virginity!

I suppose I wasn’t that off-base when I mentioned Le Grezeaux earlier as I’d recommend you’d want to give that label a shot as well.

I think clean bottles are insanely good. 5 years ago I said to wait 5 years for next bottle, so …

What’s the main difference between Le Grezeaux and Croix Boissee?

The Grezeaux is planted on mostly gravel soils, Croix Boissée is mostly clay. The southernly exposure and clay soils of CB yield a more structured wine. The CB also sees slightly newer barriques (1-3 years old), versus 3-5-year-old barrels for Grezeaux.

I was so pleased with my 2017 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon Le Clos Guillot that Baudry is on my shortlist now - keeping an eye out for any good offers

Oooh good to know! Thanks Blaine! Do those differences make the wine taste a lot different from one another?

Yes, but does not necessarily make one better than the other. I think Grezeaux is more of an archetype Loire Cab Franc, and in top quality years, it’s classicism really shines. Boissee tends to have more scale and intensity. It’s generally considered Baudry’s flagship wine, but all three top cuvees are so good, and different, that if you like the house and style, get them all.

Thought I had ordered 5btls of the 2015 grezeaux only to find that they sent the 2018 due to a vintage error on the website. They also shipped on a Friday for weekend delivery despite the fact that it was clearly addressed to my work address. So the package sat in a htruck on a 80 degree day.

I think you’ll be fine, 2018 is reputedly an excellent vintage and wine is tougher than you think. I don’t think 80 is that bad, but I’m from FL. Just sit back and enjoy!

Depends on how how the truck is. UPS trucks have a translucent roof, I’m not sure about fedex.