2005 Chinon Clos des Chene Vert

Assembled and returned to barrel (from which it will be bottled unfiltered), the Joguet 2005 Chinon Clos du Chene Vert – from a dramatically steep right-bank site just outside Chinon itself, and not far from the Clos de Neore – mingles aromas and flavors of black currant, licorice, bitter-sweet flowers and blackberry. Fine tannins and a faintly tart edge to the black fruits here segue with reasonable success into resin and coconut notes from barrel. A post-assembly, post-sulfuring rest will probably help the well-concentrated elements integrate. The 2005 from the domaine’s oldest vines, in the Clos de la Dioterie, was still in pieces, in malo-lactic fermentation (‘though the 2006 had finished!) in a heated section of the cellar, and suffering reduction when I tasted it early this year, so while its concentration, ripeness, and sound structure were encouraging, a more detailed tasting note cannot be essayed. The contents of a single new barrel had completed malo, and exhibited a sweetness of black cherry fruit and florality that went beyond the other Joguet 2005s. The relatively disappointing 2004s displayed, in turn, hints of green tannins, lack of definition, and premature funk and gaminess. Joguet’s satisfying 2003s, by contrast, displayed as a group unusual sap and vigor for the vintage and for the most part manageable, ageworthy tannins. Charles Joguet personally retired from winemaking nearly a decade ago. Less than two years ago, his long-time right-hand, Michel Pinard, turned over vineyard and cellar direction to seven-year veteran Francois-Xavier Barc. The best of the current crops here are highly satisfying and Barc is clearly quality-conscious, harboring impressive intentions for the future evolution of this traditionally bench-mark estate. Several fruitier reds from alluvial and gravel soils are raised in tank, and those from better sites undergo malolactic fermentation and maturation in barrels of assorted age. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524