The Baronnie Madeleine label
Baronnie Madeleine is a red Chinon
cuvee from
famous Domaine Couly Dutheil, made from the
best parcels selected in only the great wine
years.
That's a mouthful and so is Baronnie
Madeleine. This wine is made from 100%
Cabernet Franc, as are all finest reds of
the Loire Valley. But this is an exceptional
example of
Loire Cabernet Franc. The wine is complex with
intense aromas with a seductively silky
palate of ripe red fruits. It is round and
charming, crafted with much thought to honor
Madeleine Dutheil, daughter of Baptiste
Dutheil who founded the estate in 1921.
Of course, the vineyards were making grapes
for hundreds of years before this. Domaine
Couly-Dutheil owns the most venerable
vineyard in all of Chinon: Clos de
l'Echo. Formerly owned by the
King of France, it has been a vineyard for
close to 1000 years.
I've been to Chinon many times; it is one of
the most beautiful villages in France and
that only enhances the pleasure I get from
the wine. I cannot taste a Chinon
without a vivid picture of the village
popping into my mind. For a quarter of a mile
in each direction along the River are
charming stone houses built right into the
hillside. The land rises steeply from the
bank and on its highest part sits a chateau,
noble
though in ruins.
Baronnie Madeleine is a special cuvee and
made in a special way, only in the best
vintages. The family conducts a blind tasting
to identify a parcel of a vineyard or a blend
of parcels that will be named Chinon Baronnie
Madeleine. The family looks for a style that
represents the "feminine ideal" e.g. richness
and elegance - round, charming with complex
tannins that will have good ageing potential.
The grapes always come from the best plots
where the vines are the oldest. The vineyard
work at the Domaine is based upon organic
principles using treatments that are good to
the environment. There is a manual harvest
and strict grape selection. Yields are well
below the average for the region. The juice
is aged in barrel with full de-stemming. All
of this yields a silky and seductive wine.
This is one of the loveliest Loire wines you
can put in your glass. Have you started to
love them yet? You know, the longer I drink
wine, the more reds from the Loire end up in
my glass. These wines have a purity about
them that I love. There are no sharp edges.
They are not heavy yet they are substantial
and bursting with berry flavor, to say
nothing about their affordability.
Cynthia Hurley
To order just hit reply and let me
know how
many
cases.
Delivery will be immediate.
