Domaine Couly-Dutheil

There are few names more respected in the Loire Wine Region than that of Couly-Dutheil. Their wines have earned them great respect and are found in leading restaurants across France and further afield too! The estate’s great journey began in 1921 when Baptiste Dutheil made Chinon his home and married his cousin, Marie Couly. He started out as a wine merchant and, in 1925, purchased his first piece of vineyard land, the Clos de l’Echo. He replanted the vineyards and nurtured the soil to produce wines of great potential, laying the foundations for many years of excellence to come.

In 1928, a distant relative, Rene Couly, came to Chinon and married the daughter of Baptiste and Marie, Madeleine. Rene subsequently became the driving force in Couly-Dutheil, increasing the vineyard holdings and raising the wines’ quality. However, the estate’s reputation was truly forged by their children Pierre and Jacques, and their sons Bertrand and Arnaud. Pierre and Bertrand have now founded their own domaine while Couly remains in the father-and-son team’s capable hands, Jacques and Arnaud.

There are many reasons to visit this estate, not least the grand château, parts of which date back to the 10th century; it resembles an imposing Medieval Fortress. As we would expect from such a dedicated team, all the wines are uniformly superb, but the vineyard Clos de l’Echo deserves a special mention. This ancient land has a unique terroir (visited by Joan of Arc several times) that grows the Cabernet Franc varietal to perfection. It is a wine of immense concentration and power; none who taste are left indifferent. Sample a glass of Clos de L’Echo, and you will be converted for life, one of the world’s most unique and spellbinding wines!