Domaine de la Noblaie, 2020 Chinon 'Les Chiens Chiens'

No.15 | What's In My Glass

Chinon has been on my mind a little more often than usual lately as I prepare for a week-long visit to the region later this month. So I was delighted when I recently found a bottle of Domaine de la Noblaie’s Les Cheins Chiens on the shelf at Bossanova Wine & Beer in Toronto.

Jérôme Billard is one of the few vignerons who I can safely say I’ve known for nearly my entire career in the wine business (almost 17 years now). When I was Export Manager for Niagara’s Pillitteri Estates Winery, we used to exhibit at ProWein every year, and whenever I had a break from pouring wine at our stand, I made a mad dash to the Loire Valley Wines section so I could taste as many Cabernet Francs as I could in a short period of time. It was here where I met Jérôme for the first time likely fifteen or so years ago. Often accompanied by my tasting partner-in-crime Brian Schmidt from Vineland Estates, Jérôme was always generous with his time, and didn’t hesitate to answer our many technical questions about Cabernet Franc and his approach to viticulture and winemaking.

Chalk talk with Jérôme in May 2022

It wasn’t until May 2022 when I finally had a chance to visit Jérôme at his domaine in the commune of Ligré on Chinon’s left bank. His grandparents established Domaine de la Noblaie with 3 hectares of vines back in 1952, and Jérôme joined in the estate in 2003 following his studies in Dijon, and some time working for the Moueix family at their properties in Pomerol (Pétrus) and Napa (Dominus). A true ambassador for the Chinon appellation, not only is Jérôme an extremely talented and thoughtful wine-grower, he is also curious, open-minded and humble. Our conversations today are much like those from the early years, rooted in a desire to learn and a mutual, insatiable passion for Cabernet Franc.

Today, the domaine is up around 24 hectares of vines, all located around the hamlet of Le Vau Breton - which translates to “Cabernet Franc Valley” and first appeared in historical records back in 1698. Set back less than 2km southwest of the Vienne River, this area of Ligré is particularly unique in that its rolling topography and varied elevations have exposed a number of different soil types in a small area.

The complex underlying geology and topography at La Noblaie and Le Vau Breton

And part of Jérôme’s efforts since joining the domaine was to do some soil studies to better understand his vineyards, which are divided into nearly 50 individual parcels. Across an area that is only about a kilometre long and 500m wide, 18 different soil types have been identified in his parcels - everything from Middle Turonian white tuffeau, Upper Turonian yellow tuffeau, millarges, heavy Senonian-age clays with flint, just to name a few.

Of all of the domaine’s wines, I have a particular fondness for their Les Chiens Chiens bottling as it is coming from one of the more unique soils in the appellation - that is this Senonian, hydromorphic clay with flint pebbles (known locally as cornuelles) that has zero impact of the tuffeau chalk. Located at higher elevations in select pockets across the region, because of this soil’s ability to retain moisture, it can perform quite well in warmer vintages like 2020. In the cellar, Jérôme takes quite a classic approach to vinification for this wine with fermentation in tank, 3 weeks of maceration by infusion, followed by again in 500L neutral oak for 15 months.

In the glass, following an hour or so of the bottle being open, the wine exhibits a classic mix of red and dark, sweet fruits, varietal spice and a gentle herbal quality. Bright red cherry mixed with black raspberry is accompanied by allspice, nutmeg and a touch of cardamom, with an underpinning of spruce needles and rosemary. While the wine isn’t terribly aromatic per se, the nose does have a gentle lift and a welcoming nature overall. On the palate, the wine is plush and seamless, with persistent, mouth-watering acidity. The fruits on the palate are consistent with the nose, with a hint of red delicious apple skin, and additional layers of cocoa, sweet tobacco and vanilla custard. The wine sits broad and round on the palate, with fine, enveloping tannins that are almost fluffy or powdery in texture, with a middle palate that is somehow weightless and generous at the same time. I enjoyed this wine over a couple of days, and every sip was as captivating as the next. The 2020 Les Chiens Chiens is a very charismatic and stately wine, with terrific cellaring potential over the medium to long term.

---

From the Archives!

From late 2021, you can watch my video on Domaine de la Noblaie’s 2014 Les Chiens Chiens for a more complete overview of these parcels and the Ligré commune.