Couly-Dutheil, 1989 Chinon ‘Clos de l’Olive’
Couly-Duthiel is one of the Chinon appellation's most important producers. Not only do their vineyards account for around 4% of the total area under vine in appellation, but among their holdings are possibly two of Chinon's most prized sites, Clos de l'Echo and Clos de l'Olive, both of which are monopole holdings for Couly-Duthiel. Today, the domaine is being run 4th generation Arnaud Couly, the great-grandson of Baptiste Duthiel who founded the estate in 1921.
Both of these lieu-dit are located in the commune of Chinon. The famed Clos de l'Echo is located directly behind the Chinon fortress, and is a significant size, about 17 hectares. In the 12th century, it is believed that the vineyard was owned by royalty, and by the 15th century, this vineyard was part of the estate of Antoine Rabelais, father of Chinon's most famous son, François Rabelais. Baptiste Duthiel acquired his first hectare here in 1925, and slowly over time acquired all of the vineyard parcels.
The majority of the vineyard is on a steep, south-facing slope, except for 5 hectares at the northern edge which sits on a bit of a plateau sloping gently north. We're at one of the highest elevations in Chinon, about 95-98m above sea level. In terms of soils, we are dealing with predominantly a type of hydromorphic clay that dates to the Senonian age, mixed with some flint, which goes by the local name 'cornuelles.'
Now, taking a closer look at Clos de l'Olive, this lieu-dit was acquired by René Couly in 1951. It is said to be named after Baron Charles Leinard de l'Olive who was responsible for conquering Guadeloupe for the French in 1635, and was the island's first governor. The lieu-dit is about 3ha in size, and while some parts of the vineyard were replanted in the 1970s, in the top portion of the vineyard some of the vines over 100 years of age.
The lieu-dit is located about 500m east of the eastern border of the Chinon village, and set back about 1.5km north of the Vienne River. And we are on what is sometimes referred to as Chinon's 'premier côte', referring to this first in a series of several pockets of sloping vineyards that stretch from the eastern side of the Chinon commune all the way east across the communes of Cravant-Les-Côteaux and Panzoult.
The elevation at the bottom of the vineyard is around 33m above sea level, and we rise to about 61m above sea level at the top of the vineyard. We're on a full south-facing slope, of moderate steepness, so we have excellent sun exposure for ripening. As well, this is a true clos, surrounded by walls, which impacts the microclimate of the vineyard, making it a little warmer than if the walls had not been there.
In terms of soils, as i have noted in previous videos, the Chinon commune is one of the most complex in the appellation in terms of variability of terroirs from lieu-dit to lieu-dit. And while it is possible to find both the Middle Turonian and the Upper Turonian tuffeau on the western side of the Chinon commune, on the eastern side of the commune, the slopes between 40 and 60m above sea level are dominated exclusively by the Upper Turonian yellow tuffeau chalk. At higher elevations, we find the soils that date to the Senonian and Bartonian ages, which are various formations of sands and clays, as well as aeolian sands from the Quaternary period.
Here at Clos de l'Olive, there are two distinct terroirs. Towards the top of the vineyard, we have quite a shallow topsoil that is a sandy-silt texture, sitting atop the Upper Turonian yellow tuffeau bedrock. And in the lower portion of the vineyard, we find colluvium.
In previous videos I have made reference to alluvium, which we find hugging the banks of the Vienne River in Chinon, and alluvium is river deposited sediments consisting of sands, silt and/or gravels and usually contain more organic matter, so they tend to be a bit more fertile.
Colluvium, on the other hand, is sediments that have formed through erosion, essentially through the gravitational movement of a parent material down a slope. Colluvium tends to be more heterogeneous in texture and less fertile than alluvium. The colluvium here at Clos de l'Olive is a clayey-sand texture.
And while the alluvial soils in Chinon are known for producing Cabernet Franc grapes that are ideal for making fruitier, early-drinking styles of Chinon, these sites where we find colluvium, particularly that which is derived from calcareous materials like the Upper Turonian tuffeau chalk that we find here at Clos de l'Olive, these soils are capable of producing fruit that is better suited for making more structured, age-worthy styles of Chinon.
A few thoughts on the vintage, as I mentioned before, this is from the 1989 vintage. A vintage which is possibly the best of the 1980s, and was regarded alongside vintages like 1959 and 1964 for red wines from the Central Loire Valley. It was a long, warm vintage that allowed for full phenolic maturity while keeping balanced alcohols and acidities.
From a winemaking perspective, the approach in the cellar for this wine has evolved a bit since 1989. The fruit continues to be hand-harvested and destemmed. Fermentation is done in stainless steel, with approximately 30 days of skin maceration. Arnaud Couly's approach in terms of élevage really shifted in 2003, from then on this wine, along with Clos de l'Echo, are aged exclusively in stainless steel. In 1989, this would've been aged in oak barrels. Another interesting note, is that this is a cellar release direct from the domaine, which I purchased in 2021 via SommSelect. So it was bottle aged in the estate's underground, tuffeau cellars for more than 30 years prior to release. And remarkably, it sold for only $68.
Key wine wine facts below:
Producer: Couly-Dutheil
Appellation: Chinon
Commune: Chinon
Lieux-Dits: Clos de l’Olive
Soils: Sandy-silt topsoil on the Upper Turonian tuffeau yellow tuffeau, colluvium that is a clayey-sand texture
Alcohol: 12.5%
