Exploring Chinon's Le Chêne Vert

No.13 | Vineyard in Focus

Thanks to its rich history and having been home to royalty and nobility many centuries ago, Chinon has a wealth of highly-regarded vineyard sites, including some that are steeped in lore and have a deep historical significance that affirms this region’s long-standing history of viticulture.

Le Chêne Vert is an example of such a vineyard.

Located in the eastern part of the Chinon commune, about 1km east of the village itself, Le Chêne Vert is situated on what is often referred to as Chinon’s “première côte.” This “first slope” marks the beginning of several pockets of sloping vineyards that start in the Chinon commune and continue east into Cravant-Les-Côteaux and Panzoult. On and surrounding the première côte, we find several highly-regarded sites, each just stone’s throw from one an another, such as Clos de l’Olive, La Haute Olive, Coteau de Noiré, and Le Clos Guillot.

L: Satellite image of Le Chêne Vert and surrounding area | R: Underlying geology of the same area

What is particularly interesting to note about this area is that while the vineyards here are dominated by the Upper Turonian yellow tuffeau chalk, because of the undulating nature of the landscape and variability of elevations, there is quite a lot of nuance from site to site - and even within a given vineyard, which is most certainly the case with Le Chêne Vert.

While this lieu-dit is only about 5 hectares in size, it can be divided into three distinct parts, each with their own unique terroir.

Notable sections of Le Chêne Vert

The first and likely the most acclaimed part of this vineyard is Charles Joguet’s parcels in the “clos” of Le Chêne Vert (the lilac shaded section above). This section is just shy of 2 hectares in size and is indeed a true clos. While there are no walls surrounding these parcels, it is delineated quite distinctly from the other parcels by shrubbery and a notable drop in elevation of about 10m from the eastern portion of the vineyard (shaded in yellow).

The clos is on a steep (about 20% grade) southwest-facing slope, ranging in elevation from around 72 to 88m above sea level. Dead centre at the top of the slope, there is the 800 year-old Holm oak tree from which the vineyard gets its name. It is said that the monks of the Abbey of Bourgueil planted this tree as a marker for this special site when the vineyard was first planted to vines back in the 12th century.

The grand, 800 year-old Holm oak of Le Chêne Vert

When I visited the site back in the spring of 2022, there was no denying the magic and the energy that radiates from this special clos. Standing at the foot of this mammoth oak tree that has been there for nearly 1000 years… Where vines were continuously planted for over eight centuries leading up to phylloxera… And then gazing off to the west to see the Chinon fortress, the home of the likes of King Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard the Lionheart back in the Middle Ages... Being in this vineyard was as much humbling as it was inspiring. (Watch this short clip to get a sense of what I mean.)

Now, if that history wasn’t enough, this is an excellent parcel - viticulturally speaking. In addition to the favourable exposure for ripening, we are on the Upper Turonian yellow tuffeau chalk bedrock with a shallow silty-clay topsoil - a combination that is highly regarded across the appellation for its ability to balance drainage and moisture retention capacity, and restrict nutrient uptake to help naturally suppress yields.

L: From Le Clos du Chêne Vert looking west R: the distinctly ochre colour of the Upper Turonian yellow tuffeau

Directly south of the clos, we have another parcel of just under a hectare, which belongs to Bruno Sourdais (shaded teal in the satellite image above). This parcel benefits from a similar exposure as Charles Joguet’s clos, facing southwest, and is on a slightly gentler slope ranging in elevation from 64m to 82m. The topsoil here is a bit deeper with a much higher percentage of sand, and this sits atop millarges, which are limestone sands derived from the Upper Turonian yellow tuffeau. (NB: I have not had the opportunity to taste this wine, or any of the wines from Bruno Sourdais, so I can’t speak to this expression from Le Chêne Vert, but I will be in Chinon next month, so I will try to seek out this cuvée and report back!)

Finally, there is a section of Le Chêne Vert that sits directly to the east and “above” of these two sections (shaded yellow in the satellite image above). This section is a little over 2 hectares in size and is on a plateau at an average elevation of 95m above sea level. From here, you can see some of the finest views of the Chinon appellation. Not only do you have a clear view of the Chinon fortress to the west, but you can also see the Vienne River to the south, and the alluvial terraces of Chinon and Cravant-Les-Côteaux to the south and east. If you ever wanted to get a good perspective on the diversity of terroirs across the Chinon appellation, this is a fine spot for that. It is also worth noting that given its elevation and aspect, this site is quite exposed and windier than the other two sections. While this is good for ventilation, these parcels can also be impacted by the cool winds that coming in from the north, which influences ripening.

The stony clay parcels with flint and other rocks from the plateau of Le Chêne Vert

At this elevation in Chinon, we find a complex array of deeper soils with virtually no influence of the Turonian tuffeau chalk, ranging from clays and sands with flint from the Senonian age to light, wind-derived aeolians sands depending on the parcel. Notably here in this section of Le Chêne Vert, we have heavier clays with flint, which are known locally here as “cornuelles” - which are similar to the soils we find at Clos de l’Echo (Couly-Duthiel) and also l’Huisserie (Philippe Alliet). While I do believe there are few vignerons with parcels in this section of Le Chêne Vert, an example of an isolated bottling from this terroir is that of Béatrice et Pascal Lambert.

From the plateau of Le Chêne Vert looking west

So what can one conclude about the expression of Cabernet Franc from this famed lieu-dit? Stylistic differences from vigneron to vigneron aside, with the diversity of soils and microclimate influences across the various parts of this site, it would be impossible to define a singular expression of Le Chêne Vert. That said, given where we are in the appellation (Chinon’s première côte), as well as the terroir influences and wines from similar terroirs across the region, it is possible to conclude that the wines from any part of this lieu-dit would be age-worthy expressions of Cabernet Franc, each with their own character and sense of place, all marrying concentration, structure and finesse, and will improve with time in the bottle. What’s more is that in a single lieu-dit, Le Chêne Vert perfectly exemplifies the diversity of the Chinon appellation’s terroirs and vineyards, and how much there is to discover and appreciate about this beautiful region and its wines.

---

From the Archives!

I did a video featuring Charles Joguet’s 2016 Clos du Chêne Vert a little over two years ago. This video is on YouTube, and it offers some additional insights into Charles Joguet’s parcels here, their approach to winemaking, and my tasting notes on this wine.