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Domain: René Couly

Located close to Tours between the Loire and Vienne, the appellation of Chinon, an AOC since 1937, stretches across around 1,900 hectares spread over nineteen municipalities. The wine made here is mostly red, using Cabernet Franc, but a small amount of white wine is also produced (less than 1% of total production), from the Chenin grape variety (also called Pineau de la Loire). Located opposite the Château de Chinon, the Clos de l'Echo was undoubtedly one of the castle's very first vineyards - and maybe even one of the first in Chinon, too. It belonged to the Rabelais family, and owes its name to the echo that reverberates off its royal walls. The clay-limestone soil here is worked with sustainable practices, the grapes are carefully sorted and the wine aged in vats only. Boasting a deep colour and well-ripened aromas, this wine enjoys an incredibly structured texture that hints at good things to come for those who are patient enough to wait around 10 years! Founded in 1921 by Baptiste Dutheil, extended by René Couly (who married Madeleine Dutheil), the Domaine Couly-Dutheil estate has remained a family affair. Couly-Dutheil is renowned for the quality of its soils, but also for its patient, painstaking work towards quality. Of the 2,000 hectares of Chinon vineyard, Couly-Dutheil alone vinifies almost 120 hectares, of which 90 directly. The estate is spread across three different Chinon soil types.