Baudry-Dutour

About Baudry-Dutour

Baudry-Dutour is a producer from the Chinon appellation in the central Loire Valley. The estate bears the names Baudry and Dutour and works with vineyards in and around Chinon, including the village of Cravant-les-Côteaux. Its focus is on wines that express Cabernet Franc in this appellation: freshness, herbal nuance and a clear connection to site.

Chinon lies beside the Vienne River, shortly before its confluence with the Loire. The climate is temperate but variable, shaped by Atlantic influence alongside a more continental edge. Vineyard soils are notably diverse: river gravel and sand on lower ground, and clay-limestone and limestone on slopes and plateaux. These distinctions matter greatly for Cabernet Franc. Lighter soils often produce more supple, early-drinking wines, while clay and limestone can bring firmer structure, tension and a more persistent mineral character.

The red Chinon Vieilles Vignes is among the estate’s principal wines. Vieilles vignes denotes old vines; such parcels may yield fruit with added concentration and depth, although the exact origin can vary with the vintage. In this style, Cabernet Franc commonly suggests cherry, raspberry, violet, bell pepper, dried herbs and, at times, a graphite-like mineral note. Tannins are usually present without being heavy, making the wine particularly suited to the table and, depending on the vintage, capable of developing in bottle.

Baudry-Dutour also makes Cuvée Marie Justine, a rosé under the Chinon appellation. Cabernet Franc rosé often retains the grape’s juicy red-fruit character, lively acidity and a savoury, gently herbal edge. Taken together, these wines show two useful faces of Chinon: a refreshing rosé intended for youthful drinking and a more serious red in which older vines, terroir and bottle age can all play a part.

• Producer in the Loire’s Chinon AOC
• Cabernet Franc is the central grape
• Vineyards around Chinon and Cravant-les-Côteaux
• Chinon combines gravel, sand, clay and limestone
• Vieilles Vignes is the old-vine red cuvée
• Marie Justine is a Chinon rosé