Domaine Charles Joguet produces what is literally THE textbook Chinon.

Joguet’s wines have been used for the tasting portion of the Masters of Wine exam because their triad of violets, rose petals, and raspberry jam scents are immediately a dead giveaway for Cabernet Franc from this marquee Loire appellation.

The 2023 Charles Joguet Chinon Rosé is the perfect organic wine to stock up on for summer. Brimming with character and substance, it’s great with grilled lamb, caprese salad, and Barbecue, naturally built for bolder fare. It’s made by direct press—not a saignée—meaning that it’s fresh, zippy, and full of bold fruit flavors. Malolactic fermentation is blocked to keep the wine as refreshing as possible.

Much of the prestige of the Chinon appellation today can be traced back to one man: Charles Joguet. A former painter and sculptor, he abandoned his artistic career to take over his family's domaine in 1957. He questioned the common practice of selling grapes to négociants, since he knew that his terroirs were so noble that they deserved to shine in domaine-specific bottlings. That way their exemplary character would never be lost to the anonymity of the blending vat. 

Today, Joguet has retired. Kevin Fontaine, a young, talented, and enthusiastic winemaker, manages the vineyards and cellars. Fontaine and his team farm 36 hectares of Cabernet Franc and follow Joguet's ethos, bottling nine different cuvées—each terroir treated as unique and vinified accordingly.

Made from vines averaging 30 years of age, the rosé is blended from multiple sites and made to drink young and fresh. Try it with dishes as disparate as salmon tartare with dill or grilled rockfish brushed with garlic butter.