Patrick Baudouin: Wines
Patrick Baudouin directs the harvest of his fruit by hand, with the sweet botrytis-driven wines being harvested in the necessary tries, typically between four and six, the last tri sometimes not carried out until November. Once in the cellar what happens to the fruit depends on the variety and the cuvée in question, as I explain in more detail below.
The range of Anjou Blanc cuvées opens with Effusion, the entry-level wine made from a selection of parcels on the slopes of the Layon, the vines planted on rocks which Patrick refers to as “effusive”, hence the name. The vines are about thirty years of age on average, and may be picked in two tries. The fruit is fermented by indigenous yeasts in barriques bourguignonnes which are several years old, and the malolactic fermentation is spontaneous. The élevage takes place in the same barriques, on the fine lees, and the wine receives a dose of sulphur dioxide prior to bottling.
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