$14 Auction Bottles of 10 year old Chinon

Scored a cool lot at auction of a number of 2002 and 2003 Chinons. Paid $14 a bottle on average, making them daily drinkers, and a great opportunity to peek in on what happens to Cab Franc 10 years on. I thought I'd group the notes together (and add as I go, still to come: 2 2003 Baudry bottles)

• 2002 Couly-Dutheil Chinon Clos de l'Echo 92 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon

  I'm with Mr. Cooper below, this is a very nice mature Cab Franc with a great deal of interest. It's a bit lightweight but there's an iron and blood minerality to go along with a very clean cherry core. I emphasize clean because a few of the 2002 Chinon I've tried have been tinged by too much brett. This is gentle enough to apply to a variety of foods but has enough character to be drunk on its own. For the $14 I paid, a steal.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2002 Catherine et Pierre Breton Chinon Les Picasses 88 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon

  Definitely needs a decant to shake off the brett. The core of the fruit is nice and there's minerality and a bit of anise that is nice but it's a bit fat and any nuance is again overtaken by the barnyard on the finish.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2002 Philippe Alliet Chinon Coteau de Noiré 91 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon

  A bit more brett than I'd prefer, and a bit lean on the first night, per drwine2001... but the second day it showed much better, as florals and tobacco overtook the brett and the mid-palate became fleshier. I'd say this wine shows signs of maturity but still has years ahead.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2002 Catherine et Pierre Breton Bourgueil Clos Sénéchal Flawed

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Bourgueil

  This bottle had more than a touch of brett-a-funk, and even after the decant mellowed it, it showed more limpness than the finesse described by tasters before me. I felt it lacked any sort of attack and was almost watery on the mid-palate. I'm attributing it to bottle variation or a provenance issue.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2003 Château de Coulaine Chinon Bonnaventure 85 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon

  This was very slightly browned purple, concentrated with blackberry and tinged with brett. Even after a decant, only black licorice and oak showed through the brett. Could have been a flawed bottle, but I think more likely a sloppily made wine.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2003 Philippe Alliet Chinon Coteau de Noiré 89 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon

  Have had a couple bottles, and there's some variation on the amount of brett, creating different presentations of the same fruit. The one with less brett was pretty darn good, as it felt much lighter on its feet as a result, and you could even sense the minerality more. The other bottle had an earthier and denser feel, with barnyard and tobacco notes making the wine more of a sipper than one for dining. The latter wasn't entirely unpleasant, just more brooding.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2003 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon La Croix Boissée 92 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon

  This is drinking very young compared to the others of this vintage I've tried. Fruit is plush but very clean, secondaries in the form of ashy earth. Less rustic, more polished than most 2003 Chinon, but not quite elegant.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue