Who makes it
Couly-Dutheil works in Chinon town, within the Loire, with Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc across multiple Loire appellations. Its cellar uses temperature controlled stainless steel for fermentation and ageing. The red side includes Clos de l'Olive, while Crescendo is the exception to the oak free direction.
The domaine's scale supports both grape varieties without reducing the range to a single wine. Cabernet Franc supplies the red work, Chenin Blanc the white, and the cellar keeps the main wines away from oak influence.
Where it grows
Chinon town is the home base, while Clos de l'Olive carries Touraine on the label. Touraine is the registered appellation for this red wine, so its label name is distinct from the producer's Chinon location.
The wider holdings extend across multiple Loire appellations. One domaine can therefore work with more than one place name while keeping Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc at the centre of its production.
How it is made
The cellar
In 1989, Couly-Dutheil installed Chinon's first stainless steel, temperature controlled fermentation tanks. Ageing in stainless steel typically lasts 18 to 24 months, varying by vintage.
Clos de l'Olive contains vines up to 115 years old. Temperature control moderates fermentation, while stainless steel does not add oak flavour during ageing. The cellar method is therefore a physical choice involving vessel, temperature and time.
What they make
Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc are the two named grape varieties in the range. Clos de l'Olive is a red Touraine wine, while the estate also produces Chenin Blanc from its broader Loire holdings.
Crescendo sits apart as the label that receives oak ageing, while most other wines follow the stainless steel regime. The range moves between red and white grapes and between a largely wood free cellar and one deliberate oak cuvée.