2012 Chinon Silenes, Charles Joguet
Charles Joguet is one of the great names of Chinon and a benchmark for Cabernet Franc at its most expressive. Credited with putting Chinon on the fine-wine map, Joguet was a pioneer of single-vineyard bottlings, a legacy continued today by the Genet family. From gnarled old vines on classic Chinon soils, the wines combine sweet red fruit, spice and mineral depth with energy and precision. Profound yet never heavy, they show a distinctive saline freshness and have the structure to age beautifully. Cabernet Franc at its most characterful and complete.
From the siliceous plateau of Beaumont-en-Véron, Silènes is a bright, fruit driven expression of Cabernet Franc. Aromatic and supple, it shows vivid red berry fruit, floral lift and fresh acidity, making it an energetic, approachable Chinon.
"Charles Joguet himself was the iconic producer in Chinon from the 1960s onwards until he retired about 25 years ago. He is in his 90s today, and I am happy to have met him in person three years ago at the Domaine de Pallus, where we had some amazing old wines. It is being said it's easier to purchase a Romanée-Conti today than a matured Charles Joguet, since whoever owns a bottle would drink it but never sell." Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate