Bernard Baudry was born into a Chinon winemaking family in Cravant-les-Côteaux, Loire. Having studied oenology in Beaune, he started making his own wines in 1982, with only two hectares of vines. Today the estate is made up of 30 hectares, from six different sites, all of which are worked without the use of artificial herbicides or pesticides. His wines reflect the great versatility of Cabernet Franc when grown on different sites and are very much 'terroir' driven. Matthieu, his son has been working with Bernard since 2000 and now does most of the wine-making - the tradition continues. Beautiful wines, purely made, crisp and juicy Cabernet Franc.
One of Chinon’s classic, benchmark producers, Bernard Baudry, somewhat surprisingly, only purchased his first two hectares in 1975. Now comprising 32 hectares, the estate is run by his son Matthieu, who joined his father in 2000. Organic since 2006, the Baudrys remain traditionalists, and are blessed with a diversity of terroir surrounding their village of Cravant-les-Coteaux: five vineyard sites variously endowed with clay limestone, sandy limestone, silex and gravel. The Baudrys also believe in fermenting and aging in cement tank, especially for their less structured, youthful expressions. But these wonderful unoaked, easy-drinking Cabernet Franc are part of the fabric of Chinon. Jason Wilson, vinous.com (Jul 2020)
Bernard Baudry recherche la dimension soyeuse et civilisée des chinons, tout en restant au plus près de leur expression de terroir. Cette démarche, qu’il poursuit désormais avec son fils Mathieu, se double désormais d'une certification bio. Une philosophie qui leur inspire aussi la plantation de vignes non greffées, franches de pied depuis dix ans (à la suite des plantations des années 1980 de Charles Joguet), et l’implantation sur de nouveaux terroirs oubliés, tel l’excellent clos Guillot à Chinon. Leur Croix Boissée (terroir argilo-calcaire de Cravant-les-Coteaux), bâti pour la garde, possède un supplément de velouté et parfois de sucrosité dans les années chaudes, ce qui n’est pas pour déplaire aux grands amateurs de Saint-Emilion. Cette cuvée prend naturellement la tête des grands rouges de Touraine. Le domaine est entre la deuxième et la troisième étoile. La Revue du Vin de France (Nov 2015)
With his wire-rim glasses, moustache and quirky smile, Bernard Baudry looks as if he might teach biology at the local high school. Although a relative newcomer to the region, he instead quickly established himself as one of Chinon’s outstanding producers.
Since 2000, he has been assisted by his son Matthieu. they are fortunate to have not only five excellent sites but also an incredible cellar chiseled out of the tuffeau behind the winery.
While they are sometimes labeled traditionalists, I find them to be more naturalists. Everything here is organic, harvested by hand and bottled without fining or filtration.
In any case, theirs is a style that I admire: they make cabernet franc taste as suave and succulent as pinot noir.
Joel B. Payne, Vinous (www.vinousmedia.com)
(Dec 2014)
Light purplish red. Warm vintage. Garden aromas of tomato, flower stem and olive. In the mouth, lower acidity and swirling minerality at midpalate. The thrill rises toward a fresh finish full of stoniness. Thirteen months in cement tank.
Jason Wilson, vinous.com
