Clos du Chêne Vert AOC 2011

A Cabernet Franc that openly displays its maturity while retaining definition: charming and sensual on the nose, big and deep on the palate, dry, with a calmly balanced 13.5% vol.

The Clos du Chêne Vert lies on the right bank of the Vienne, not far from the centre of Chinon, and extends up to the crest of the hill. Two hectares, steep, south-facing, which is why harvest here begins every year before any other parcel on the estate. The soil is marked by clay, lighter gravelly ground and deep-lying limestone. The Clos takes its name from the huge oak tree said to have been planted by monks from Bourgueil in the 12th century.

Cabernet Franc. Ten days of cool pre-fermentation maceration at 10 °C, followed by around four weeks of maceration in wooden vats at a maximum of 21 °C. After alcoholic fermentation, the free-run wine and the best press wines are blended for malolactic fermentation. This is followed by 15 to 16 months in French oak barrels, of which roughly a fifth are renewed each year, the rest being one to four years old. A further six months of harmonisation in tank before bottling.

Everything sits in its place: melting, aromatic tannins, a touch of remaining fruit, plenty of the typical sous-bois, along with foliage and the iron character of mature Cabernets.

Charles Joguet took over the family estate in 1957 and began vinifying each plot separately instead of blending the grapes together. Cellar master Kevin Fontaine continues this work; since 2008, malolactic fermentation has taken place in barrel. For mature wines, he recommends a Burgundy glass.