Charles Joguet Les Varennes du Grand Clos' 2019

Chinon wines have been celebrated for centuries, but the reason the appellation enjoys such high regard today is thanks to the living legend Charles Joguet. In 1957, Joguet, as a young painter, took over the family estate in Sazilly and with the patience of a saint he worked on taking care of the family's famous lieux-dits (including Varennes du Grand Clos, Clos du Chêne Vert & Clos de la Dioterie!), all located between the rivers Loire & Vienne. It was Charles himself who realised that the potential of these lieux-dits, already famous since the 16th century, would only come into their own if they were bottled individually. Today that sounds logical, back then anything but. Charles is now enjoying his retirement, but with Kevin Fontaine there is a great successor. In fact; the wines at Joguet have possibly never known such precision, finesse & pureté du fruit. The reflection of terroir & grape, both white and red, has never been so strong. Are you, like me (Gianluca), a sucker for the Loire? The lack of Joguet wines in your cellar is then indefensible, sorry (not sorry!). Awarded ** in Revue du Vin de France 2023.