Bernard Baudry Chinon "La Croix Boissee" 2018
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100% Cabernet Franc. Croix Boissée is in Cravant, near the winery, on a south-exposed slope overlooking the Vienne River. The Baudry parcels total 3.1 hectares of low-yielding vines, ranging from 15 to 40 years old, on clay soils rich in white tuffeau (soft limestone) and iron. The farming is certified-organic. All vineyard work, including harvest, is by hand. The fruit is destemmed without crushing and moved by gravity into unlined cement vats. Fermentation is spontaneous with native yeasts and without sulfur or temperature control; maceration lasts up to 3 weeks with occasional pumpovers and no punchdowns. The wine is then aged in 1-3-year-old barriques for 2 years and bottled without filtration. Sulfur usage is minimal.
96 Points - Vinous
The ripeness of the 2018 vintage gives an almost Syrah/Viognier character to the Chinon La Croix Boissée, which offers sweet black fruit and a creamy apricot note. Sumptuous yet never ever opulent, it's almost as if the wine's just done a yoga class. Plentiful tannins give the inside of your cheeks a chalky rub, while there's surprising freshness considering the ripeness, leading to a lengthy finish. This is a baby that will turn out to be a great adult.
93 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Chinon La Croix Boissée displays a deep, intense and elegant bouquet of dark fruits intertwined with black tea aromas. Silky, crystalline and elegant on the palate, this is a full-bodied, fresh and refined Chinon that is slightly leathery toward the finish, which is long, intense and vivacious and has lingering salinity. The tannins are fine, elegant and well integrated yet still palatable. The 2018 might have some volatile acidity, but this makes it a true classic of the appellation and an authentic Baudry. Great aging capacity. Tasted in June 2021.
