Bernard Baudry, Chinon, Croix Boissee

This opened up fairly tight but after 2 hours, it blossomed showing beautiful blue/cherry fruit and a fine, silky texture. Medium-bodied with excellent freshness and good intensity of flavor. The finish shows real complexity with notes of smoked berries, silty minerals and a touch of green tobacco. Just kept getting better and better in the glass so while drinking perfectly tonight, there is a ways to go here. Very very impressive Cab Franc.

2012 vintage

Following yesterday’s disappointing showing of Jamets, but still wanting something wth some heft, this cuvée presented as a good possibility. The inauspicious beginning of a broken cork with a crumbly core did not deter. Following a needed decant to both capture the cork crumbs as well as avowing the ample sediment, the initial pour showed promise what with its translucent cranberry from rim to core. Thirty minutes later, the wine is a deep, opaque cranberry. The nose offers intense, distinct …

2009 vintage

Décanté 2h avant consommation.Robe ferme.Bouquet typé de notes de tuffeau,de framboise,de mousse,d'humus.Cela dégage vraiment bien et clairement une belle complexité.Le palais est droit,sérieux,bien doté en structure,comme un majordome bien stylé qui donne le ton à l'équipe.Il manque un chouia à l'heure actuelle pour être totalement conquis.Je pense qu'il peut avec 3-5 ans supplémentaires en cave franchir ce palier...Néanmoins c'est déjà une bien belle bouteille et à mon sens un des deux meilleurs vins de son appellation (avec le coteau de …

2012 vintage

Cranberry color from rim to core. A muddling of raspberry, cranberry, plum, sandalwood and smoke on the nose and palate. While the flavors are not distinctly unique, they tease themselves out only to become muddled again. A crunchy wine with good balance but a bit of a lean mouthfeel. Decanted, but other than avoiding sediment, didn’t need to from a flavor development standpoint. No reason to hold any further. 13.5% alc. With leftover (beef) Flatiron steak, Stilton, Bailey Hazen, truffle …

2009 vintage

This remains a taut, old-style Baudry (which is not a bad thing) with a firm structure but also delicious ripe bluish cherry fruit and a fine, silky texture. Really builds to a taut and crunchy finish with complex notes of violet spice, chalky minerals and a touch of green tobacco. Lean in style but it perks up with food and plenty of air.

2012 vintage

Double decanted a few hours prior to consumption. This seems to be in a spot where it was resolved and expressive. Tart, pure red fruits over chalk. Acidity frames the fruit and carries it over a slightly darker palate with savory notes. These is nice finishing grip of fine tannin. Really everything I had hoped it would be.

2009 vintage

One of the best Loire cab francs out there. A classic, best in show wine from the Loire. Text book aromas and palate. Definitely more tertiary notes, as the wine is 13 years old. I love this producer. I may have preferred this wine, slightly more last year, but this is still drinking wonderfully with a glorious perfume. Paired with wood fired picanha steaks and chimichurri.

2012 vintage

This has a lovely violet cherry and herb perfume. The palate is somewhat lean but not green with delicious dark berry fruit and a fine, savory texture. It finishes taut and juicy with tertiary notes of tobacco leaf, bell pepper and dark floral spices.

2012 vintage

Enjoyed over 2 days still on its fresh and youthful side. That said there is quite some development with tertiary aspects such as notes of leather, coffee, forest floor and tobacco. It however mainly has the distinctive CF notes of green bell pepper, herbaceous and mineralistic. There are also notes of red garden berries, pencil lead, capsicum and black pepper. Medium to full body with good depth. Tannins can soften further but also very enjoyable on the more savory side

2012 vintage

This wine continues to impress. Its color is a deep, rich cranberry. A bouquet of raspberry, sandalwood, cranberry, smoke, leather, and balsamic lift from the glass. Much the same on the palate where notes of thyme and saddle leather appear on the mid-palate and carry through across the very long finish. The tannins are fully resolved. This is an incredibly good, downright lovely Chinon. A shadow of sediment clings to the shoulder. 13% alc. With grilled bone-in pork chops with …

2012 vintage

Red fruit, hints of bell pepper. Similar minerals and chalky notes as other tasters. Medium body, nice energy, taut. Another classic Loire Franc.

2012 vintage

Really enjoyed this. Seems to be fully mature now. Earthy tobacco and dustiness, with cream and red fruits. Well balanced with decent acidity to give it some backbone.

2009 vintage

Still primary in profile but wide open and engaging, with an extra gear of concentration. Though preferring the 05, this was great and confirms my impression the Croix Boissee is the shizzle. Softer with a gentle herbal note, this is so seamless. Its peak is still probably 10-ish years away but very enjoyable now. 92-93 pts.

2009 vintage

Shows very well. Polished and refined, with their herbal spice notes rather subtle as it’s intertwined with ripe fruit notes. Balanced, polished palate, fine tannins. Just terrific and in a great spot.

2009 vintage

WCC Cabernet Franc from Around the World (Yono's Restaurant, Albany, NY) : [Double-decanted around 5:30pm.] Lovely bright red fruit nose. Very dry on the palate. Long finish of raspberries.

2009 vintage

WCC Cabernet Franc tasting (Yono's, Albany) : Decanted at 5:30 PM, poured about an hour-ish later. Starts out with bright red fruit accented by fresh herbs and more savoury earthy and stony notes, and the earthy and mineral components get more intense on the back end as this sits in the glass. It shows the ripeness of a warm vintage, but also has the acidity and structure to restrain the rich fruit. The VLM's note mentions that seam of limestone …

2009 vintage

The nose is dominated by bretts at first but after 2 hours, the aromas have purified to give way to raspberry and pepper. Structured and juicy mouth. The juice has a vigorous acidity with a silky touch that pushes the wine on aromas of strawberries and spices. Second part of the mouth on the bitter chocolate which continues on a good finish. Very good. If the cabernet franc "jumps to the nose" at the opening, it is much more harmonious …

2009 vintage

This has progressed some since my last bottle, but the chalky structure is still in charge. Nice mix of fruits with savory notes. Has that really vivid, tart, chalky length that is such a Croix Boissée signature. Truly a grand cru site. This still has a couple of years to go before it is truly at peak.

2012 vintage

A beautiful wine, the epitome of Loire Cabernet Franc. Beautiful aromas evolve from the glass, red fruits, tobacco, forest floor, and more. Give the wine an hour to breathe and you will be amply rewarded. There are many years left to this wine. I am looking forward to even more spectacular drinking in the future.

2012 vintage

Absolutely stellar. A humble $21 wine, aged for 11 years, and just perfect. A little bit of earthy barnyard leads to a glorious palate of red fruit, mineral and oodles of tobacco. This is Right Bank Bordeaux on a diet. Simply glorious.

2009 vintage

The sweaty saddle brett is quite strong out of the gate but that does fade into the background after lots of air. Everything gets better with plenty of air here. It settles into a classic, red leaning Chinon. The tannin is quite stout. Hints of VA and heat though. At times its pleasing. At others the less pleasant notes seem to grab your attention. The biggest issue is that when I like it, its not really better than a pretty …

2009 vintage

Ripe fruit and good concentration.Needs at least two hours of decanting to come alive, was rely mute the first night, but really good the second night.

2009 vintage

Anything I say here pales against the actual beauty of this wine. It was gorgeous and so far the best wine of the year. The color falls somewhere between cranberry and plum. Intense raspberry, tobo smoke, leather, cigar leaf, thyme, balsamic and mushrooms on the nose. The transition from nose to palate is seamless. The transition from attack to the incredibly long finish is again, seamless. The tannins are fully resolved. Reaching the bottom of the bottle left me almost …

2012 vintage

Opened as a back-up bottle and man is it intense. Really deep cherry and dark berry fruit. Has that seam of limestone minerality through the middle. Still a good bit of structure. Deep dark earth. The texture really screams limestone. Leave for 2-4 years before opening another bottle.

2009 vintage

Still very primary on the palate but the tannins are (almost) fully integrated, presenting a wine that seems to be at peak but still drinks young and will probably continue to evolve and gain nuance over another two decades. I love all the Baudry wines and La Croix Boissee always stood out as being the most elegant and complex. Lots of juicy red fruits, the acidity hints at cranberry but it's more like ripe strawberry/raspberry/pomegranate. With airtime the midpalate develops …

2009 vintage

Deep ruby with nose of dark cherry, red berries and a herbaceous or floral scent such as violet. Bold on the palate with notes of black currant, plum, strawberry, bell pepper, again herbaceous and floral parts with forest berries, crushed rock and earth in the aftermath. High acidity and good present tannic structure. Opens up with more air. On day 2 more berry flavours in the nose and more tertiary notes on the palate such as forest floor and iron. …

2012 vintage

Berserker Offline (Mathilde Bistro - SF) : Terrific Baudry, still very young. Very classy and a bit more feral and burly than the Rougeard Bourg. Shows nuanced layers of dark cherries, crushed dark flowers, pipe tobacco, and a bit of green olive. Wonderfully fresh, with juicy acid and a streak of stony minerals. Tannins just a shade on the rustic side, and still needs 5-10 years to peak. 93+

2009 vintage

Loire Tasting (Mathilda Bistro, San Francisco) : Pretty, classic Chinon nose notes of red bell pepper, black pepper, dark fruit, cherries, and leather. Good acidity with slightly richer notes on the palate of cherries, cassis, forest floor, and pepper. The tannins are quite integrated at this point but still provide good structure. Nice finish. I really enjoyed this and the wine probably drinks close to peak right now.

2009 vintage

October 2023 Loire Dinner (Mathilde - SF) : Very interesting to drink this side by side with an '09 Clos Rougeard Le Bourg. While the Bourg was silky, powerful, yet elegant, with a long finish, the Baudry had more complexity and texture at the front end. A little more funk, a little roughness around the edges. Both were fantastic, though the Baudry could probably use some more time to smooth out the edges. Yum.

2009 vintage

2 hour double decant and this showed lovely cabernet franc aromas of black cherry, plum, autumnal leaves and dried herbs which gave way to a mouthful of lifted, tangy red fruits that morphed into drying, bell pepper tones through the long finish.

2012 vintage

Age has really helped this otherwise lean wine to begin to shine now. What a gorgeously pure Cab Franc nose. On the palate, the texture is turning savory but there is plenty of crisp acidity along with succulent violet/cherry fruit and just the right touch of green tobacco. The finish is taut and tangy and pairs so well with smoked short ribs.

2012 vintage

TWS North London; Loire at Must & Lees (Must & Lees, N1) : Amazing colour. Less intense nose than the 2011 Charles Joguet Chinon Clos de la Dioterie tasted subsequently – actually, its less intense full stop. Similar violets/blackberry/plumb aromatics and tastes, but all quite subdued. A bit bretty. Good, but overshadowed by the Joguet.

2009 vintage

Loire Wines of North London (Must & Lees) : Slightly Bretty on both nose and palate, but there's plenty of pure, juicy strawberryish fruit too despite the wine's age and its savoury qualities. Slightly short finish. A good wine, but also a bit middle of road compared to the thrilling Joguet.

2009 vintage

TWS North London - Loire (Must & Lees, N1) : A bit of a comedown after the Joguet. I found this stocky, grumpy and heavy. Really quite bretty, extracted with a savoury and meaty character that felt at odds with what the appellation does at its best. Didn't really see the point, nor did I much enjoy drinking it.

2009 vintage

Pop and pour, then decanted. Drunk over a few hours with a last glass the next night The brett on the nose is pretty prominent at first, but underneath it is lovely stone fruit, bell pepper, and some savory ferrous notes. Mid plus weighted, structured and stony, yet it somes across seamlessly and with a sense of balance and effortless intensity. As the brett fades, there is more fruit, soil, and pepper notes. Finishes with fine tannins. This is early …

2009 vintage

From a small capped bottle (wine divided for zoom tasting). Day 1: Nose of deep red cherries and a core of stony cherry pits. Day 2: the nose on this is clearly sweeter and riper than the 08 with a bit of exotic and creamy on the nose - cassis and marzipan, along with a dark cherry core. Cherry orchards and cherry blossoms, velour and velvet. A hint of pipeweed. The palate is excellent with the dark sweet cherry fruit, …

2009 vintage

An absolute stunner, on top form. Will comfortably age for a further 5 years.

2009 vintage

Another lovely '12. Fresh, elegant, a pretty ideal cab franc to drink now. Croix boissee really shows its class even in weaker vintages. Great now + 5 years.

2012 vintage

An embarrassment of steak riches (Chez G) : this is probably a bit late in the evening to start trying to get my head around a new type of wine. This is lovely though - grippy, savoury, lovely structure in the mouth. I’d seek this out to try again.

2009 vintage

Cab Franc and Pizza (My place, Portland OR) : And now for something slightly different after the 18. 09 was also a warm vintage (though far from what 18 brought) and maybe this is a guide for where it can go? Regardless, this was all systems go after about a half hour with loads of Red cherries, raspberries, earth notes, violets, red currants, fresh herbs, chalk tones, and new leather. There is excellent depth and expression to this. It just …

2009 vintage

PNP. Cork perfect. Color garnet. Nose shows tobacco dark cherry and plum. Some hints of dill but not strong. Swishing shows acid still and tannin softening and nearly integrated supporting a tart cherry fruit. Sipping shows great balance and integration. This was awesome tonight.

2009 vintage

The same impressions as with the last bottles, but I have to admit the surprise when I came back after 5 days of holidays and having the last glass left over in the fridge. The wine developed well, the same black and deep red fruit, more round compared to 5 days ago, still having the same punch and not at all any fatigue. This is great stuff. When I mentioned ready for business, you can switch to “drink it over …

2012 vintage

Nothing overtly wrong with this, but very much lacking any depth and kind of dull. I’ve had enough CB from other vintages to think that something was likely off.

2009 vintage

Again a mix of red and black fruit, black cherries, cranberries and saline notes. Good density and length, ready for business.

2012 vintage

A superb bottle in tip top condition. At its peak. Tremendous depth.

2009 vintage

Säure, bricht in der Mitte ein, hat aber Länge

2012 vintage

A buried bottle that I had forgotten about. Light red. Dill and other green herbs. Light, lean, high acidity, and mineral. Not much fruit showing and really, not a lot of pleasure. Probably at the end of the line.

2009 vintage

Again a mix of fruit not easy to define: red and black fruit, black cherries, pronounced salinity, with age it is taking weight and volume, still not yet fully ready, but very good.

2012 vintage

Definitely lean in style from a cooler vintage but with air it blossoms. Delicious black cherry fruit emerges with high but integrated acidity. The finish is taut and succulent with a fine lick of minerals and a touch of herbs. Given how this grew in the glass, I would still age it further. 91+

2012 vintage

Mix of fruit, more on the red side, there is a lot of soil, salinity, high density and good length, each sip demands the next one. More open compared to the last ones.

2012 vintage

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Bernard Baudry, Chinon, Croix Boissee

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