Domaine Jaulin-Plaisantin
When I first met Yves Plaisantin it took me just five seconds before I realised this was somebody I needed to get to know.
First, he is good friends with Matthieu Baudry, one of the very top names in Chinon. In fact, the two are business partners together, as Yves, his wife Émilie Riopel and Matthieu all have a share in La Cabane à Vin, a wine bar conveniently located just off the Place du Général de Gaulle in the centre of Chinon. Secondly, he is a vigneron with some valuable experience under his belt, including five years working in the USA, and when we first met he was only recently returned to France. And there is little I find more exciting than seeing the new generation of vignerons, especially those who have broadened their horizons with some experience in the New World, return to the long-established appellations of the Loire Valley. In my experience, as we have seen with the arrival of Emmanuel Ogereau in Anjou, or closer to home Jérôme Billard, on the opposite bank of the Vienne, for example, the results can be very good indeed.
Thirdly, when we met it was about two o’clock in the afternoon, and calling into La Cabane à Vin I found Yves (and Matthieu, it has to be said) tucking into the largest platter of steak frites I have ever clapped eyes on. This was a man who knew how to eat lunch, I realised. Not wishing to interrupt their repas I handed over a few crisp notes and walked out with a bottle of his 2011 Les Bourdes. Expecting an easy-drinking lighter style, I was captivated by its dark and brooding character, with its black fruit and black olive complexity. Given that many encounters with the 2011 vintage in Chinon have leaned towards the frankly vegetal, what he had made was very good indeed.
Reading that, it should come as no surprise that just a few weeks later I found myself piloting my hire car up the limestone côte towards his domaine, not far from Cravant-les-Coteaux. I enjoyed our first real meeting, and I thought the range of wines produced were an interesting addition to the Chinon wine scene. I resolved to keep an eye on the domaine, which I did, meeting and tasting with Yves several times over the next few years. The wines were always interesting, sometimes very good indeed.
It was therefore something of a shock to learn that Yves and his business partner Sébastien had sold up in 2023. Domaine Jaulin-Plaisantin is no more, and this profile remains purely as a record of what was achieved here. But more on that, and who bought their vineyards, in a moment; I first present a little more background detail on Yves, Sébastien and their domaine.
