Couly-Dutheil

Couly-Dutheil is an estate situated in Chinon in the central Loire Valley of France. It makes a largely Cabernet Franc-based portfolio of wines from approximately 130 hectares (321 acres) of vineyards in Chinon. This core range is supplemented by a variety of classic regional wines from around the Loire, from Saumur, Touraine, Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas de Bourgueil.

The estate was founded by Baptiste Dutheil in 1929. Today, the Couly-Dutheil estate is managed by Jacques Couly-Dutheil and his son Arnaud, and produces roughly 1.2 million bottles of wine a year. The family-owned vineyards in Chinon have gravel, clay, chalk and siliceous soils, and are planted to Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc.

The most renowned of these Chinon vineyards are Le Clos de l'Echo and Le Clos de l'Olive. Couly-Dutheil produces a flagship single-vineyard Cabernet Franc wine from each of these two sites. There are several other Chinon rouge wines in the portfolio, including Les Gravières, La Diligence and Le Domaine René Couly, and the La Baronnie Madeleine, only made in the best years. Couly-Dutheil also produces a Chinon Blanc, Les Chanteaux, and a rosé, René Couly.