A Visit to Domaine Bernard Baudry, 2017: Tasting Notes
Matthieu and I set about tasting a range of wines from the 2016, 2015 and 2014 vintages, mostly from barrel and cuve, but including several from bottle. I won’t run through each individual wine here, as all are described in my tasting notes below, although a couple of wines deserve being highlighted. I was prepared for the stunning quality of the 2015 La Croix Boissée, as I tasted it last year, but I wasn’t expecting the vibrant tour de force that I discovered when I raised the glass of 2016 La Croix Boissée to my lips.
Despite the frost that afflicted this vintage, the quality is incredible, and while the 2015 has texture as well as confident flavour, the 2016 seems to add an extra layer of savoury intensity, with flourishes of salty black olive, scented and spiced, vaguely reminiscent of a fine Barolo (not that I drink a lot of Barolo). The 2014 La Croix Boissée was also wonderful, although Matthieu favours the 2016 at the moment, as he prefers the balance he sees in this vintage to the 2015, which he says has a touch more “sucrosity”, and the 2014, within which he senses the alcohol a little too readily. He likened the 2016 to the 2005, which is high praise indeed. My own opinion is that this is a trio of vintages which no fan of Chinon should be without, and you should buy any that come your way.
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