Bernard Baudry, 2014 Update
I have long admired the wines of Bernard Baudry, and I now find it difficult to pass by this domaine without stopping for a tasting. As a result I think I have tasted more wines from the appellation of Chinon at this domaine than at any other nearby address. Some might regard this as excessive and unfair, but to me it seems entirely appropriate; despite the mantle having been passed from father Bernard to son Matthieu within the past decade, this remains a reference domaine for the appellation. It is useful to appraise and appreciate the levels at which Bernard and Matthieu have been working all these years, firstly to see what the appellation is capable of in great vintages, and secondly as a benchmark in lesser vintages. You know if Bernard and Matthieu had a hard time of it, then everybody else did too.
Bernard (pictured above) is officially retired, although he never seems to be too far away. Nevertheless this is certainly Matthieu’s show now, and on my most recent meeting with Matthieu we first talked about the difficulties of the 2012 vintage. The problems for Matthieu began in spring, when a very significant frost on April 17th wiped out a significant proportion of the harvest. This was followed by cold and wet weather during flowering leading to coulure, resulting in a reduction in potential yields of approximately 40%. This report of a significant frost on this date in April is one I have heard from many Loire vignerons. The average yield for the domaine was 28 hl/ha, happily with no evidence of rot at the time of picking.
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