Chinon
Grower Profiles
Spring in Le Clos de Chêne Vert
vineyard
Domaine Charles Joguet
It’s
not only that Joguet makes good Chinon: it is that he is one of the rare
vintners whose wines can be gripping aesthetically, spiritually, and
intellectually, as well as sensuously’.
–
Kermit Lynch 1988.
The name Charles Joguet is synonymous with the wines of Chinon, although the man himself retired in 1997 after his 40th vintage in Sazilly. Born in 1931, Joguet arrived relatively late to wine despite the fact that he came from a family of viticulteurs. He originally studied art at the Ateliers du Montparnasse and becoming a graduate of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris; Joguet had known from a early age that he wanted to be a painter and, over time, an accomplished sculpture too. Well travelled, he visited Italy to study the Old Masters and also spent time in New York. But in 1957 his father died suddenly and he knew that he couldn't leave his mother to run the domaine. At this point, vineyards formed only part of his parents enterprise, since this was a domaine built upon mixed farming run, from a simple bourgeois house, in the middle of the village. The wine produced by Victor Joguet was simply sold off by the cubitainer to a succession of private clients.
It's
fair to say that Charles had no clue about winemaking, but he knew from
the start that he would not be able to make a living out of becoming a
full-time vigneron. As a result, he divided his time between living
the life of a bohemian in Paris and playing at being a farmer in Sazilly.
Although he had no experience or training, he at least approached the
subject with the mind of an intellectual but also taking advice from
Messieur Taffoneau, a highly respected local vigneron, who became
his mentor. Over time, Charles became more and more fascinated with the
culture of the vine and started to spend longer periods in Sazilly,
returning to Paris at the weekends to catch up with his wife, then a
notable theatre critic.
Joguets outstanding legacy in the appellation is for the implementation
procedures that would be considered common practice today. He was one of
the first vigneron in Chinon to start bottling his own production;
initially conducted so that his elderly mother wouldn't have to negotiate
the cellar stairs to draw wine off from the barrel for their local clients
(the capsules still today retain the initials of Joguet's mother, the
domaine being inherited through the maternal family line). He was also the
first to introduce the concept of vinifying and bottling younger and older
vines apart (see below) and for separating the different parcels to
produce site specific cuvées as well as being the first in the region to
raise his wine in second hand Bordeaux barrels (famously acquired from
Château Latour circa 1970). Considered by his peers as a risk taker,
Joguet was always one of the last in the appellation to harvest and
running the affairs of the domaine on the verge of bankruptcy. To this
end, he invited his chartered accountant, Jacques Genet, to invest in the
business in 1985, bringing some sense of financial stability. A Chinonnais
himself, Genets family also owned a few vineyards in the Véron and
these were quickly incorporated into the domaine and the injection of cash
allowed Joguet the luxury of employing salaried workers for the first
time, employing winemaker Michel Pinard and a general manager in Alain
Delaunay who took control of the day-to-day running of the domaine.
A man of few words, Joguet objected to people trying to draw a comparison
between being an artist and a winemaker, yet remained modest about the
achievements of his dual careers. Following his retirement, the domaine
was acquired outright by Genet, with Joguet withdrawing from the scene for
the next 15 years, returning to Paris where he continued to paint, sculpt
and exhibit his work. Delaunay remained as general manager until his own
retirement, whilst Pinard was eventually replaced with a young winemaker
called François-Xavier Barc, or (FX to his friends) until he left to set
up his own domaine in 2009. More recently Joguet has returned to Sazilly
to live out his life in the family house in the village, but despite
entering his 9th decade, he continues to paint. Today the domaine is run
by Genets daughter, the very capable Anne-Charlotte, whilst the
viticulture and winemaking is conducted under the watchful eye of Kevin
Fontaine.
There
are now around 40 hectares of vineyards under the control or ownership of
Domaine Charles Joguet with fruit sourced from across the communes of
Sazilly, Chinon, Anché and Beaumont
VINEYARDS AND WINES
Le
Clos du Chêne Vert
This
renowned vineyard sits above Le Haut
Olive;
the two hectares facing south-south-west towards the town. The vineyard takes its name from the green
oak that dominates the top of the slope and it is believed to have been
planted here by the Benedictine monks from the abbey of Bourgueil in the 11th
Century, presumably at the same time they were planting their first vines. Despite a
couple of attempts to cut it down it continues to grow and, due to its strategic positioning, it is said that it never
casts a shadow over
the vines. Just below the oak there is a cellar-cave extracted from the rock.
It demarcates the point where the soil profile changes from heavy
clay
with large stones
to being light and friable; said to produce more perfumed and aromatic wines.
The story of how Charles Joguet acquired Le
Clos du Chêne Vert is well documented but recited again here, in
brief, for posterity. Despite nearly 1,000 years of continuously being
planted, by 1976 the vineyard had been abandoned. What vines remained were
overgrown with brambles and wild fennel. The land had recently been
inherited by Monsieur Terray, a local oenologist known to Joguet, who had
no interest in either keeping or propagating the vineyard. Terray
approached the vigneron to make him aware of the sale which, as local custom
dictated, was to be conducted by candle auction. By this point, no single
wine grower had come forward expressing an interest to buy the land. In fact, the only
potential bidder wanted the slope for grazing his sheep. Joguet claims he
had no money but ended up buying the vineyard anyway (for a modest 4,800
Francs) and replanting started the same year. During this period, Joguet
was still partly using horses to work the soils (he was only able to
afford his first tractor in 1966). Being on the wrong side of the Vienne
and 12 kilometres away from his cellar and, understandably, the initial reaction
was that his sudden impulse to purchase Chêne Vert was something of a foolish and
impractical long-term decision.
Le Clos de la Dioterie is, along with Le
Chêne Vert, the best of Domaine Joguet’s
vineyard holdings. Unlike its counterpart, it is nothing to look at; a simple, shallow slope, facing
north and located next to a couple of undistinguished grain silos. The soil here
appears to be heavy clay with some sand and gravel, although the vines
apparently sit very close to the limestone sub-soil which is particularly
active. Famous since The Middle Ages the walls of this 2.2 hectare clos
have long since disappeared (although Joguet did rebuilt some of the upper
section in 1970). The vineyard is currently around 90 years old and split into two
with the upper and
lower halves delivering slightly different levels of maturity at harvest
time. The two
resulting wines are blended - a case of the whole being greater than the
sum of its individual parts. The north-facing orientation ensures that Le
Clos de la Dioterie is one of the last parcels in the appellation to
be harvested.
At
4.5 hectares Les
Varennes du Grand Clos is a
natural extension of Dioterie
and enjoys the same north to north-east orientation and a similar soil
profile:
clay with some silica at the top of the gentle slope and a more
sandy-gravel terrace at the foot. In terms of how the resulting wines
might differ from the adjacent parcel, the vines in Les
Varennes du Grand Clos are said to produce smaller bunches and berries resulting in lower yields, but with greater concentration and
lower alcohol.
The Cuvée Terroir is the mainstay of the Joguet production and comes from rented vineyards on the sandy soils of the rive gauche and from the Genet family vineyards on the plateau above Beaumont. Raised in tank, it is responsible for around 35-40,000 bottles annually. Le Petite Roches is a relatively new introduction and is from vineyards based on gravels soils. This is also raised in stainless steel tanks. Les Varennes du Grand Clos (as noted above) is aged in barrels of between one and three years for around 16 months, whilst Le Clos du Chêne Vert and Le Clos de la Dioterie receive around 18 months in mostly new oak barriques.
In the early 1990s Joguet rented three hectares of land on the limestone slopes above Saint-Georges-sur-Vienne (about four kilometres outside of the appellation boundary) and started planting Chenin Blanc in 1994. The resulting wine is released as Le Clos de la Plante Martin and classified as appellation Touraine. There is some motivation, however, to incorporate this commune into the appellation, hopefully by 2015. The objective here is to produce a barrel-fermented dry wine, although in certain years (2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010) the conditions have allowed for the production of a little sweet wine too.
TASTING
NOTES:
Regardless of this, it is important to recognise that Domaine Charles Joguet continues to be one of the leading producers within the Chinon appellation, even if this is solely for one or two of the top cuvées, the quality of which can equally be somewhat inconsistent. My own philosophy for buying the wines would be to follow Le Clos de la Dioterie in isolation since this appears to be the best performer overall. As for the lesser wines, I couldn't bring myself to endorse anything that carry the Joguet name, since there are much better (and less expensive) examples produced elsewhere in Chinon.
2009
Cuvée du Terroir
Very
tight. Reduced nose and palate. Good weight and flesh but needs time for
the reduction to (hopefully) blow off. Quite firm acidity to finish. A
modern, clean expression of Chinon, but a bit soulless. 35-40,000 bottles
produced. (08/11) Footnote: a second bottle tasted (04/11) was showing
some brettanomyces on the nose and palate.
2008
Les Petites Roches
Clean nose with a more obvious Cabernet Franc profile. A little lean
and savoury on the palate with firm acidity (a function of the year).
There is also some brettanomyces here and some grubby, dirty, yeasty notes
too. There is a good core of Cabernet Franc fruit, but it fades quickly.
(04/11)
2008
Cuvée de la Cure
8,000 bottles produced. Deep polished appearance. Noticeable oak on
both nose and palate. A bit overdone, although the fruit profile is both
clean and pure. Good fresh acidity. Builds well. The oak currently
dominates but patience should be rewarded with keeping. This is still
pretty taut, but the oak should rersolve itself over time. (04/11)
2008
Les Varennes du Grand Clos
Polished.
Youthful purple. Serious, smokey, savoury nose. Well focused and pure on
the palate with well-handled oak. Taut and grippy and currently unknit
with the oak showing a little on the finish. This really needs time, but
this might just be too firm for long term potential. (04/11)
2008
Le Clos du Chêne Vert
Serious, dense and brooding. Excellent weight and focus and appears to
handle the oak much better. Greater freshness and balance and this already
appears much more approachable than the other 2008s. Chalky textured. This
has a promising future ahead of it. Will soften and improve further.
(04/11)
2008
Le Clos de la Dioterie
Slightly savoury and metallic nose, but clean enough. Well focused
with good structure, showing weight but also elegance. Still very pure
with just a lick of oak which should integrate with time. Taut and mineral
with more oak on the finish. Good (04/11)
2007 Les Cinq Climats
Palate
and nose are both reduced as well as being a little bit animal.
Lacks fruit and flesh. There is some bitterness on the finish too. Shallow
and short. Dull and ordinary. (08/11)
2007 Le
Clos du Chêne
Vert
Modern.
Oak and oak reduction to the nose and palate. Well textured with good
balance, but currently lost behind the wood and the reduction. Firm
acidity and lacks character with only the wood showing on the finish. So
much for being a 'site specific' wine. (08/11)
2007 Le
Clos de la Dioterie
Deep
appearance. Youthful red. This shows some oak on the nose, but with much
greater integration than the Chêne Vert. More complex and complete with
less winemaking and more terroir. The oak shows on the palate but should
harmonise over time. Still very young but shows great promise and in a
different league to the above. (08/11)
2006 Les Varennes du Grand Clos – Franc de Pied
A
bit dull on the nose. Cooked, confit character and some signs of
oxidation. Concentrated palate, but also shows the same baked qualities of
the nose. Lacks structure and is dull and flat. Over-ripe to the point of
being Zinfandel-like and also gives the impression of some residual sugar.
Tannins present on the finish. Cooked and over-ripe. (08/11)
2005 Les Petites Roches
Dense
and concentrated. Full and ripe but the wine is lost behind the reduction.
Mid-weight on entry. This is pretty dull and monotone with too much
reduction for this point in its ageing. Very firm tannins to the finish.
This may improve with time, but this is currently in a difficult phase. It
shows the character of the vintage. Footnote: After a couple of days the
wine had blown off the reduction but was showing signs of brettanomyces.
Generally poor. (08/11)
2004 Les Varennes du Grand Clos
Mid-depth
red. Good weight and concentration to the nose, but also shows some
reduction. Unknit with firm acidity. Unbalanced, showing concentration but
no real ripeness; even some green hints. Footnote: After a couple of days
the reduction blew off but continued to show a fair degree of oak.
Disappointing. (08/11)
2003 Le
Clos de la Dioterie
Bright.
Mid-full showing some evolution. Full and ripe on the nose; a true
expression of the vintage. There is a tiny amount of brettanomyces on the
nose, but currently within my personal tolerance level, but this doesn't
bode well for the long term potential. The palate is better with less
evidence of contamination. Good, ripe, soft and creamy with very good
weight structure and concentration. Ripe but not confit. This will age
further, although concerns remain about the presence of any brett which
will only serve to dry the wine out as it ages. (08/11)
2001 Les Varennes du Grand Clos
Shallow
but retains a youthful pure red appearance. Fragile nose. The palate is
thin with only the acidity really remaining. Grippy and dusty tannins to
the finish. This won't improve. Poor. (08/11)
2000 Le
Clos du Chêne
Vert
Mature
appearance. Dull, mature nose. This is tiring quickly. Light and shallow
on the palate. Lacking fruit and beginning to tire. Quite firm acidity and
even a suggestion of reduction on the palate. The acidity carries the
finish. Hollow and short. Disappointing with some brettanomyces developing
after a day or so of being open. Poor. (08/11)
1997
Le
Clos de la Dioterie
Opaque. Dull and shallow in appearance. Mature. Light and shallow on
the nose - almost like a chaptalised Pinot Noir
with its 'hollow calories'. The palate echoes the nose: shallow and dilute
with the wine appearing to be held up by chaptalisation. There are some
rustic farmyard notes to the finish. Poor. Drink up quickly. (08/11)
1996 Le Clos
du Chêne
Vert
1996 Le
Clos de la Dioterie
Both bottles of
the above tasted at the same time (08/11) were both out of condition.
Judgment deferred on these since I have had good bottles in the recent
past.
1992 Le Clos
de la Dioterie
Pale. Mature. Pale brick rim. Very ‘organic’ and stalky on the
nose. Rhubarb and oyster shell palate and distinctly stalky. Rustic and
green. Poor. (07/04)
1989 Le
Clos de la Dioterie
Still youthful appearance. A touch savoury on the nose; distinctly
sous-bois, but not without interest. Despite its age it still shows the
ripeness of the vintage. Complex meaty flavours to the palate and retains
good weight and concentration still. Multi-layered with great freshness.
Sill holding up well. (08/11)
1985 Le
Clos du Chêne
Vert
Mid-pale.
Orange to rim. Very delicate and restrained nose. This is still very fresh
with a lovely balance to the acidity. Mineral and mature but certainly not
tired as the acidity could be expected to preserve this wine further. This
is the reason why we were all originally seduced by the wines of Charles
Joguet. (08/11)
Domaine
Charles Joguet
La Dioterie
SAZILLY
T:
+ 33 2 47 58 55 53
F: + 33 2 47 58 52 22
contact@charlesjoguet.com
www.charlesjoguet.com