Domaine Jaulin-Plaisantin: Tasting & Drinking
As noted in the introduction to my profile, Domaine Jaulin-Plaisantin is no more, and the information provided below is preserved solely for historical purposes.
I discovered Domaine Jaulin-Plaisantin in 2016, when it was still a young domaine, only really established with the 2011 vintage. Although some of Sébastien Jaulin’s vines were old, and he had valuable experience under his belt, it was with the arrival of Yves Plaisantin that this sleeping domaine finally awoke. Everything was turned on its head by his arrival; the viticulture was shifted to organic, the wines were vinified in-house. It was a complete U-turn for the domaine, and it must have been a radical and potentially disorientating change in direction for Sébastien when he was only thinking, a few years before meeting Yves, of selling up.
Kudos to both Yves and Sébastien for what they undertook together, and for what they achieved. I always enjoyed tasting the wines, and I regret the fact that they decided to sell up. Their final vintage was 2022; in 2023 Anatole de la Brosse purchased the domaine, and he released the first cuvée from Teyras de Grandval (not discussed in this profile) that same year.
Looking solely to the Jaulin-Plaisantin wines, my first taste from the domaine was the 2011 Les Bourdes, which showed very well. I loved the fruit character and the confidence, and it was well above par for the 2011 vintage in Chinon, which was a difficult one, with many top reds leaning towards some rather vegetal aromatic and flavour profiles.
Visiting the domaine, it was great to see that this wine was not a one-off, and that Yves Plaisantin’s other efforts are no less enticing. The 2014 L’Enfer offered a particularly good hit of limestone Chinon, while the 2014 Les Bourdes felt like a more primary version of the 2011, simply loaded with black cherry fruit, and certainly full of potential. A later encounter with Yves, at a tasting in Tours immediately before Covid emerged, I was also impressed by the 2017 Les Bourdes. Sadly, during and after Covid, Yves and I never seemed to cross paths.
Nevertheless, this was a domaine well worth visiting, and one which I once suggested keen buyers and drinkers of Chinon should look out for. Sadly, though, its time has passed. If you come across a bottle, treasure it, as they will become increasingly rare. (15/11/16, updated 29/1/26)
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