I had picked up several of these a year ago at a surprisingly low price. Much to my surprise, this showed up again at an even lower price. I had been planning to let these go another 2-3 years before trying one. But ease of upping my supply led me to cave.
This is everything I love about Chinon–it’s a model of rustic elegance. The tannins still have a ways to go, but the character of the wine is already showing through nicely. I especially like this style of wine, though I’d figure most folks who like old world wines and tolerate some funk would find it to be good.
2005 Charles Joguet Chinon Clos du Chêne Vert- France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon (12/17/2010)
Epic Chinon. It’s not really a powerful wine, but needed a good hour in the decanter to open up. At first has barnyard, menthol and cassis aromas. (OK, there’s some Brett here, but it is more fertilizer/soil than the band-aid/medicinal Brett typical in CA–seems to be a Brett strain or expression specific to the Loire.) Medium bodied with medium high acidity on the palate. Chalky tannins. A mix of blackcurrant, tobacco pomegranate and chalky mineral flavors. All of these just linger on the finish, and there’s no heat or weird off flavors. Tobacco and minerality were more pronounced over time. This is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but this is amazingly concentrated Chinon Cab Franc that is a straight beam of awesome in my book. Nowhere near mature, either, though it oozes class right now. (95 pts.)
Wish I had some of the Dioterie. My guess is the '05 Dioterie is cleaner, with more density and dark fruit (labeled 14% ABV, though Joguet’s notes indicate 14.5% potential), hence is more popular in the US market than the '05 Chene Vert (13.5% ABV, still quite high for Chinon) which has the funk and acidity I more commonly associate with Chinon. Anyway, my buying opportunities have been on the Chene Vert. Hopefully I find some '06, '07 and '08 around (any of the upper several cuvees) in the $25-$30 range.
I’m not too worried about Chinons getting terribly popular. While the prices are modest, most are fairly herbaceous and simple, though I like the flavor profile. I’m sure many people have a Brett-bomb or an acidic bell peppery version and move on. Yes, move along, nothing to see here.
Sounds great, and just the type of wine I have been loving these days. Sadly looks like a backfill would run more like 40, but I see the 2006 for under 30, pretty tempting.
Great note, Greg. The 05 Chene Vert and Dioterie are, indeed, both terrific. (If you really want some of the 05 Dioterie, I have some resting in my cold warehouse. It is $30/bottle, and came direct from Kermit Lynch’s warehouse in the Bay area to mine in San Diego. I have the 05 Chene Vert for the same price, and both 06s for a few bucks less. If you’re interested, please PM me.)
I recently enjoyed a 2005 Jouget ‘Les Varennes du Grand Clos’ with lamb kabobs at a Persian restaurant - a near perfect match for an outstanding wine. According to wine-searcher.com, it’s available in the $30-35 range.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure? Makes me wonder if this had the rep of a good Bordeaux if folks would be so quick to sell on the relative cheap. Maybe the occasional bit of funk scares folks off?
You know, I do wonder how Joguets in a vintage like this compare to ‘decent’ right bank Bdx. Because I am narrow-minded (and more importantly shallow-pocketed!) I won’t be paying the price to find out. I figure these would be a bit rustic and angular compared to what a well-capitalized chateau can do with high-end tools and a big blending selection, but the aging capacity and certain claret-like components are there.
Freaking again over the Clos de la Dioterie I enjoyed these last two days compelled me to pop the 2005 Chene Vert tonight. An absolutely delicious wine. A true polarity of styles, though. I would call this one more textbook Chinon in style: Leaner, crisper acidity (brimming) with tangy fruit expression. Bright red fruits tinged with that pomegranate you noted. Shorter finish but still with firm, chalky tannins. Looking forward to following this wine tonight and tomorrow before I head out to a nice French dinner.
Greg,
My experience has been more like Robert’s, that the Chene Vert has a more youthful, clean profile, and the Dioterie is the wine that takes a long time to come round, initially the more bretty of the two. Charles Joguet himself called the 1989 Dioterie a “40-year wine”. Many years ago the sommelier at the Chateau du Marcay, just south of Chinon, told me that she found the Dioterie the hardest Chinon for outsiders new to those wines to understand.
With all the recent comments on Joguet I decided to open a 2006 Chene Vert last night. It had a beautiful nose of menthol, blueberry, and underbrush. The wine was rustic and a little short on the back end for me. I haven’t had an aged Chinon so I don’t know what the evolution of this wine will be, but it is a relatively good value for the money.
Thanks for the good note, Jerry. I’ve drunk a couple bottles of this, but haven’t had one for a while. The 05 is quite a wine as Greg’s note above suggests, but I find more pleasure in the 06 right now. What’s next for you, a post regarding cru Beaujolais?
Thanks for the helpful info. I am very, very interested to try the Dioterie since it sounds like it is stacked with structure and power. Definitely the Chene Vert had a very pleasing freshness and vitality, though in that style it had quite a bit more stuffing than most Chinons. Dioterie sounds pretty epic based on all that has been said, and going by the higher listed ABV, I guess I am expecting something with more muscle.
I hate to de-lurk on a negative note, but I just tried the Chene Vert 05, and was baffled. The nose on this wine was completely dominated by cloyingly spicey (not toasty) oak, covering up any of the typical musky aromas that make Chinon (and Bourgueil) so recognizable and enjoyable. On the palate the oak wasn’t as bad, but there seemed to be some heat on the finish. Things are a bit better on day 2, but aromatically the oak still subordinates everything else.
Does this resonate at all for other people who’ve tried the wine recently, or am I just drinking a dubious bottle?
Sounds different than what I tasted. I did detect some oak (coconut flavor), though I didn’t mention it specifically since it was far enough in the background for my taste. Could be bottle variation, could be different sensitivities.
Some of the feral yeasts in wines like these can produce spicy aromas, so that’s another possibility along the lines of bottle variation.
Thanks for the insight. I have a couple more of these, so I will pop one soon and see if I get different results.
This is the first time I’ve sampled one of the higher end cuvees from Joguet. I have a vague sense that their rep took a hit a while back. Is that accurate–and if so, can you provide any info on what happened?
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