Domaine Charles Joguet

Overview

Charles Joguet (born c. 1930, Sazilly) is the godfather of Chinon and arguably the most important figure in the modern history of the Loire Valley’s greatest red appellation. A trained painter who pivoted to winemaking after his father’s death in 1957, Joguet introduced practices to Chinon that would define the region for decades: he was the first vigneron in Chinon to mise en bouteille and sell his entire production in bottle (from the 1959 vintage), and the first to bottle a single-vineyard Cru on its own (Clos de la Dioterie, also 1959). Without Joguet’s pioneering Burgundy-inspired model — single-vineyard cuvées aged for long-term cellaring — it is hard to imagine the Chinon of today, with its dozens of excellent single-vineyard producers and world-class age-worthy wines. Joguet ran the estate for 41 years, from 1957 to 1997, when he retired and sold to the Genet family (the domaine’s long-time accountant). He and his wife Monique returned to live in Sazilly in 2003, where they reside today in their early nineties. VFTC #117 (May-June 2025) contains a long-form interview and tasting notes.

Appellations

• Chinon — the entirety of production; all from the commune of Sazilly and surroundings in the heart of the appellation

Key Wines / Crus

• Clos de la Dioterie — Joguet’s first and most celebrated cru; 70–80-year-old Cabernet Franc vines; Vieilles Vignes designation used in select vintages (e.g., 1993, 1995, 1997); first bottled on its own in 1959
• Les Varennes du Grand Clos — second historic vineyard; partially planted to franc de pied vines (permission granted 1982 after Joguet petitioned authorities; inspiration: a 1893 franc de pied Chinon served at his sister’s 1953 wedding); expanded to 2.5 ha in 1976
• Clos du Chêne Vert — purchased at auction in 1964 (Joguet outbid a pasture-land buyer at the last moment); old vines diseased, replanted entirely in 1976; first own vinification as a Cru in 1982
• Clos de la Cure — planted 1973, 1.5 ha
• Les Roches Gasnier — planted 1962

Style Notes

Joguet’s wines were made in a very classical Loire style, seeking to demonstrate that Chinon could age as long and as beautifully as the finest wines from Bordeaux or Burgundy. He never used new oak, instead buying used one-wine barrels from Château Latour for many years. He developed an electro-mechanical pigeage system in 1973 (with engineer Guérin of Entreprise de Cuves de Niort and oenologue Jacques Puisais), which replaced the wooden submerging slats and allowed more control over extraction while revealing the singular aromatics of each cuvée. His mentor, Monsieur Taffonneau (met c. 1963), taught him to keep press wine separate from vin de goutte. The wines are strikingly age-worthy: the 1990 Clos de la Dioterie (score 96) remains at or near its apogee more than 30 years after the vintage.

Gilman Scores (VFTC #117, May-June 2025)

Wine	Vintage	Score	Drink
Clos de la Dioterie	1990	96	2023–2075
Les Varennes du Grand Clos	1989	96+	2017–2045+
Clos de la Dioterie VV	1997	94	2025–2045+
Les Varennes du Grand Clos	1996	94	2025–2040+
Clos de la Dioterie VV	1993	93	2023–2045

Favorite Producers Named by Joguet (2025 interview)

Joguet named these as his current favorites in Chinon: Maison Bernard Baudry (now run by son Matthieu, Cravant), Nicolas Grosbois (Panzoult), Bertrand Sourdais (Cravant), Philippe Brocourt (Rivière).

My Tastings

(none yet)

Sources

• VFTC #117 (John Gilman, May-June 2025), pages 89–101 — full interview with Charles Joguet plus tasting notes