2022 Bernard Baudry Chinon Rose, Loire Valley

The nose is all strawberry, peach leaf and fresh cherry. The palate is quite beautiful, fresh and delicate, with creamed summer fruits and a light-footed dance across the palate. With a gentle grip and good acidity for the vintage, this is quite delicious.

 92 points Chris Kissack thewinedoctor.com

Organic. 100% Cabernet Franc. Baudry’s irresistible rosé was traditionally drawn from a parcel of vines rooted in the gravel terroir of Grézeaux, originally planted by Matthieu’s father some 30 years ago. More recently, to counter the warmer seasons, Baudry has introduced a new vineyard: Les Balais. It sits on clay and flint (silex) soils sited high on the Chinon coteau, above his iconic Croix Boissée vineyard. The fruit from the flinty soils of this site now contributes at least 70% of the blend and brings incisive cut and minerality to the riper fruit from the valley floor.
 
As always, the grapes are picked by hand and made by the pressurage method, whereby the wine’s delicate colour comes from minimal skin contact in the press. The wine fermented with indigenous yeasts—two-thirds in Italian-made concrete tanks and the remainder in stainless steel. It was left on lees with no sulphur added before bottling. If we’re splitting hairs, it’s a little more generous than last year’s wine, yet, as always, it’s a layered, gently creamy and delicately complex rosé with a burst of summer berry and sweet citrus fruit sculpted by stony freshness. Unique and delicious.