2010 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon Les Grézeaux- France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon (6/5/2014)
PnP (my first of 7) consumed over five nights. That’s right, five nights. I wanted to know. Cool acids every single night; they defined this wine as much as the beautifully pure fruits.
Night 1: opens up straightaway (and WoW!), but after a half hour in the glass, tannins move in, and the party is called off.
Night 2: more deeply fruited. chalky, powerful acids in check given the very deep well of red and black fruits
Night 4: just in awe of this wine. Acids and fruits in perfect harmony. I could smell it all night; a few tastes and I’m transported.
Nigh 5: stony, limestone-y. All about rocks and perfectly balanced red and black fruits. After an hour in the glass, some pyrazine -the first sign of them in the five days this has been opened - show themselves. But they do so for just a minute, and even then, it’s subtle, welcome. Some more time in the glass, no pyrazine, now it’s campfire/ash. and more rocky, chalky fruits.
highly recommended, drink thru 2025, 13,0% abv. Served non-blind.
I don’t get this wine. While it did not make me gag, it did remind me of my first youthful (some 40 years ago now) forays into French wine. Cheap, thin reds that I would often cut with orange juice to make them more enjoyable.
Regarding another current thread: If offered the 07 Usseglio or the 10 Grezeaux I would choose the Usseglio every time, regardless of context. But then, my palate was shot 30 years ago.
Have you tried Joguet? The 2005 and 2009 Joguet Clos de la Dioterie are very largely-scaled wines. Beautiful wines, really, and every bit as scaled as a Bordeaux in a ripe year.
We opened an 07 Croix Boisée this week, and I was reminded that Loire Cab Franc reds, more than any other I know, shine with food. Drinking them on their own and drinking them with a meal can be night and day.
They clearly drink well with food, nicely balanced, but I don’t think you are suggesting that they cannot be a vin du garde on their own? I absolutely adore these wines, especially matures ones for the FDPs, solo. They are so incredibly nuanced and layered that many times I prefer them solo.
I see the Loire reds vintages 09-11 similarly to the Beaujolais vintages 9-11, something for everyone, each vintage quite distinct.
Thus far I have tried, and stocked up on, 2011 Baudry Croix Boissee (gorgeous) and Baudry Franc de Pied (really quite nice, old school). Also bought Guion, which appears to be polarizing in this vintage. It’s a true geek wine, lots of green and ash. I like it but am not recommending it.
Have not see a lot of the other big guns released yet, for example, Joguet Clos de la Dioterie, Rougeard (just released its 09) and Raffault.
I am a buyer, but just a bit more selectively than 05, 09 and 10.
After having another of these last night my opinion has changed. The first bottle I had a few months ago was consumed at a party within 30 minutes of opening and therein lies the tale. I opened this one Saturday (and had a taste) and stored in the fridge overnight. My first taste was, again, underwhelming. It was not thin but it was weedy, like the wines of my younger days. Day two and this had really come around. Weediness gone and all kinds of other (good) stuff going on. Baudry enthusiasts here have correctly described it and I will buy it again.
We had a great Father’s Day dinner featuring grilled rack of lamb and putting my corkscrew where my mouth is, I also opened a 2007 Clos St. Jean VV (my 07 Usseglios are long gone) and a friend brought a Mystery Wine. The group liked all the wines. The consensus ranking was: 1)Mystery Wine, 2) Baudry and 3) Clos St. Jean. I’d say my personal fav was the Baudry very closely followed by the Mystery Wine, which I pegged correctly as another CDP. Everyone enjoyed the Clos St. Jean but as the evening went on I detected a furniture polish note (that others identified as wood) that didn’t actually ruin the wine but did put it firmly in 3rd place for me. The Mystery Wine? (Drum roll.) 2010 Usseglio Tradition.
I agree there is a big transformation. Better or worse is rather subjective – on night one, I find a beautiful core of purple berry fruits that gives way to the tobacco, herbal and gravelly notes. On night two, the fruit usually recedes to emphasize the greener and rockier dimensions more.
Both are good in their own way, but I think I slightly prefer day one, which strikes me (personally and subjectively) as having more of a balance between fruit and complex secondary flavors.
I’d at least suggest this – if you’re going to do a long decant in advance, have a glass or at least a few sips in the early going so you don’t miss out on learning what it’s like then.
Well, I am sipping it right now after being open for an hour. At first it was showing crunchy red fruit and now it is more tobacco and green olives with the fruit receding a bit. It’s perfectly balanced. Lots of acidity, but not overly so. It should be perfect with our grilled chicken.
Dinner isn’t even ready and it is shutting down. First night should be p&p. Good thing, I only decanted half the bottle. Wine will be poured from the bottle for dinner. It is still delicious.
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