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Patrick Baudoin Update, February 2010

The first time I tried to locate Patrick Baudoin at his domaine very near the little hamlet of Chaudefonds-sur-Layon, many, many years ago now, it was a complete disaster. I set out without any strong idea of where the domaine was located, other than the name of the aforementioned settlement. I drove up and down the streets - and there aren't many, so I drove along a good number of them several times - in a fruitless search. And then, unwilling to accept defeat, I began to explore the surrounding countryside, striking out from the town in various directions, taking each road in turn. First I went up the rue du Commerce, then the rue du Stade, followed by the passage de la Montagne, in each case driving until I was lost amongst a sea of vines, with no Baudoin-dwelling in sight. Exploring to the east, I came across Domaine Cady, nestled deep amongst the vineyards. It was all very reminiscent of my first ever visit to Huet in Vouvray, during which I spent what seemed like hours driving around and around the town. But in that case at least I finally found the domaine; with Baudoin, in the end, I accepted defeat. As if to celebrate this victory over a foreign visitor, the heavens then opened unleashing a torrent of hailstones which would have been impressive whatever the season, but they seemed particularly depressing taking into account that the month was June. I returned to my property to discover I had left a bedroom skylight open, and that the bedding beneath was soaked. It was not, on the whole, a successful day.

It is much easier to track down Patrick at the Renaissance tasting; he is a regular attendee at this event, held each year in Angers. When I met up with him at this annual dégustation in early 2010 I came clean and confessed my previously futile attempts at locating his domaine during the early years of my Loire explorations. He was incredulous, because of course his domaine is very close to the town, situated right on the roadside. Unfortunately for me the road in question leads westward out of the town, on the other side of the Layon, whereas I had diligently explored every avenue to the east, up into the vineyards. A 200-metre adventure in the other direction would have led me to my desired destination. If only Google Maps and commercially available satellite navigation had been in existence all those years ago; today, the wealth of freely-available online maps with satellite images and in-car satellite navigation makes it much easier to locate any wine domaine - including that of Patrick Baudoin, which is clearly marked on many such maps!

Tasting with Patrick in Angers in 2010 I was able to get my teeth into a trio of wines from the 2007 vintage, along with one 2008 and one 2004, the latter from his parcel of vines in Les Bruandières. The 2007 threesome included his two dry Anjou whites, which both showed fairly well, although I had a clear preference for Le Cornillard, from a schistous terroir, over Effusion, from volcanic soils. The vintage was perhaps best suited to sweeter cuvées, and his entry-level Layon showed an attractive if rather delicate appeal. The red Anjou Coteau d'Ardenay was lightly structured and easy-going, and it was not until the final sweet wine that Baudoin's talent really showed through. The 2004 - not an exalted vintage by any means - Les Bruandières showed all the magic that some sites along the Layon river are capable of. An excellent wine indeed. (26/8/10)

Patrick Baudoin, February 2010 - Tasting Notes

The wines below were tasted with Patrick Baudoin in February 2010. All my tasting notes on Patrick's wines, including those below, are collated under my Patrick Baudoin profile. Click to locate stockists.