2017 Couly Dutheil Chinen Rouge Clos de l’Olive

2017 Couly Dutheil Chinen Rouge Clos de l’Olive

2017 Couly Dutheil Chinen Rouge Clos de l’Olive The very dark red color garnet is expressed on an explosive nose reminiscent of black fruit (blackberry, blackcurrant) with notes of dried fruit, licorice and sweet spices. The round mouth feel offers a beautiful bouquet wrapped by persistent fruity aromas. The palate is rich and powerful with silky and velvety tannins. Great Chinon ripe from a great terroir.

Of the 2000 hectares of the Chinon vineyard, Couly-Dutheil vinifies some 130 hectares of which 78 are their own property located over the three production areas of the appellation. If the quality of the soils, amongst the best in Chinon, contributes to the renown of Couly-Dutheil, their quest for quality in the selection of vintages and love for perfection in maturing adds to their prestige. One of the stalwarts of Loire winemaking, the Chinon firm of Couly-Dutheil was founded in the early 20th Century by Baptiste Dutheil. The year was 1921, and Baptiste had settled in Chinon following the Great War, and had subsequently married his cousin, Marie Couly. Baptiste set up as a wine merchant, and in 1925 he purchased part of the Clos de l’Echo. This was a significant acquisition, even though it required completely replanting, having been left barren since the Phylloxera epidemic fifty years before. In 1928 another family member, although only distantly related, moved to Chinon on a sabbatical from his usual position in the Bordeaux wine trade. This was René Couly, who during his time in Chinon met, and subsequently married, Madelaine Dutheil, daughter to Baptiste and Marie. For much of the 20th Century René was the face of Couly-Dutheil. It was he who purchased the remaining portion of the Clos de l’Echo, and who oversaw its planting, it too having been laid to waste following Phylloxera. With the arrival of new generations, however, control was handed down, first to children Pierre and Jacques, and then grandchildren Bertrand and Arnaud. It is these third and fourth generations that steer Couly-Dutheil into the 21st Century.