Still youthful and not yet at peak, though perhaps getting there. Nose is as expected for a 13 year-old Guion, showing both some sweet fruit, almost roasted, savory red pepper and that cool note that Guion always shows, and just a touch of autumn forest. The ripe vintage makes itself known in some initial sweetness on the palate but this is quickly washed away by acid structure, and a bit of tannin. Right away everything is speaking loudly, but in turn, here. Over several hours this goes strong, with no signs of fading. Excellent length carried on its acid structure. The palate retains that cool, refreshing note. Hard to say what the fruit is, but it's there, and, again, with some 2009 sweetness, not in a sense of any residual sugar, as there is none, but with some forward nature to the fruit. Color is pure garnet, like a gem, really. First hints of tertiary notes on this, so maybe the next few years is the time to drink. 2009 might not lend itself to particularly long aging, not because of a surplus of ripeness, though it seemed that way when the vintage came out, following in the paradigm of 2006-2008, but more because it doesn't have the thicker skinned tannic structure of 2010 or even 2008. A lovely drink, purchased for, IIRC, $13. I wonder how more recent, riper vintages will age in comparison. Glad I bought enough of these to drink over the years. Guion is a silly value if you want to follow the life of an age-worthy wine which can develop slowly but costs a pittance. I'm not saying it will ever be as profound as some wines, but it sure is pleasant and enjoyable for a price that beats most supermarket plonk. Sadly down to just one bottle left of this, maybe 2 of the '10 and 2 of the '08, unless there are a few hiding on me. I went deeper on 14/15 and have a good deal of 18/19 as well. For my taste, Guion remains an outrageous value, but one that requires a patience not at all commiserate with the modest price.
I only opened because I feared possible seepage or damage, as the label was coated in dried wine, but needn't have feared. Cork was perfect and capsule spun freely. Something else must have broken and/or leaked on this at some point. Not sure when or what wine it was, but this was completely sound.
If trying to describe this to someone who doesn't know the wine at all, I'd say it's not an objectively "great" wine, but one that provides so much pleasure for someone who wants to understand how a properly made traditional wine can age, and really just for anyone who loves wine itself.
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Pop and poured - beautiful nose, plush red fruits, a hint of cinnamon and spice - the wine is medium body with ample fruit - high acidity creates a mouth watering finish - quite nice and youthful.
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I stumbled upon this in the cellar - a nice surprise. On pop and pour, it was quite mute, but over time it opened up. On the second night open, there's a light nose of mainly black fruits with slight earthy and herbal notes. The medium bodied and rather lean and tannic palate shows a mix of mainly black and some red fruit with iron, tobacco and earthy notes. No green notes at all on the palate, but as noted, the acid and tannins are quite healthy. This could use some more time I think, but I notice many people are saying it is past the due date? Hard to say if the fruit is diminishing. Great QPR as always (B+).
FWS Review: Every time I drink Guion I wish I bought more, and I think I bought 6 of these... This has aged so gracefully. Tobacco, green pepper, menthol, black berries and so much more. This shows those organic earth aromas so beautifully. Could easily live another 5+ years, but I doubt this will get better, its just too good now!! This was my wine of the night with some wines that cost 3-5 times as much...
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This last bottle seemed quite green and on it's way to vinegar. I'm not sure if it was over the hill or that is just the way Loire cabernet franc ages.
This bottle was really rocking, completely open but still youthful. Medium body, with a mulberry and green pepper nose. The palate adds some herb and is fairly elegant, even Bordeaux-like. Great value. Can last for years.
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This dropped a ton of sediment. It was medium bodied with a very nice sour cherry or cranberry note. Some mistook it for a Pinot. Had a lot of earthiness and some tobacco leaf notes. Tannins have softened a great deal, but still has a bit of a gritty side. This is a very rustic wine, but very delicious. I am a fan of Cabernet Franc, so no surprise I'm a fan of this wine, but everybody else who tried it seamed to love it too! QPR is insane, and I'm glad to see that this $13 bottle has survived 9 years and will survive many more.
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Well I certainly liked this more than my last bottle, 6 years ago. Remarkable for a $13 wine to age this well. It's clearly well along the aging curve as far as taste and nose, though the sweet fruit is still there. The dusty/drying tannins are still around as well, and I think will outlast any fruit. Acidity has calmed down I guess based on my last night, and it's just a nice, somewhat aged, food wine.
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Completely consistent with previous note of only 2 months ago. I should have waited longer before opening a bottle. I will wait 2+ years before opening my last bottle.
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Drinking well, and likely a long way from peak. What another poster calls lean I'll call starkly mineral, and with tannic bite, but also with good fruit that is just starting to show some complexity and development, currently showing a blackberry profile that I often found in leaner vintages of this wine but that has until now been obscured in this vintage by the amount of unresolved material. The great thing about Loire CF is that no matter how big they are they finish so clean that they don't cloy at all. I suspect this will be much better in ten years, and may be amazing in 25. But for my part I'm down to two and doubt they'll make it another five. Going long on 14 and 15.
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Lean and thin, while still having a tannic bite. Lots of funk, but no obvious brett. I can dig it, but not sure I want to waste cellar space om wine like this.
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This has now been open for two hours. Aromas are soft (not angular), lean and clean, showing some aromas of green bell pepper some soil & gravel, and slight tartness. I like how integrated and smooth those notes are despite the intensity of some of the leaner notes. Palate entry is light, fairly thin in body, and still incredibly compact with tight tannin that develop quickly. Here there's still that green pepper note, but it's met with a surprising bubble gum brightness of fruit on the backdrop and this begins to take over if you choose to hold it on the palate for 20+ seconds like I do... and it's worth it. With my small sips I was only getting that slightly green note. High dial up of cutting acidity, impeccable bright cranberry, and incredible compact tannins on the finish. When one really pays attention to this wine it really has a lot to say. Incredible for $12. I'm bummed so many people just sip and swallow before allowing things like this wine the time necessary to develop in the mouth with ridiculous amounts of aeration. Before I sat down to write this note and pay attention, I was casually walking around the house drinking this and thinking, "Maybe 89 points." But gain, when I pay attention, it has so much more to say. Surprising comparing this note to my first bottle (this is the second) four years ago as I called that wine "hefty" and "nearly full bodied." Perhaps that was simply in relation to the Cuvee Domaine which I had just had prior, because this wine is still incredibly lithe and neat. That said, while I believe the wine's drinking window is open as it's quite lovely to drink today, it is also not going anywhere soon and I do believe it will improve additionally with cellar time. Right now the flavors are all still primary, so this has plenty of available room to develop with time.
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I felt my last bottle was young, this one seems a bit old. Sill some pleasant raspberry, sour plum and earth but very acidic with light tannins and tastes a bit tired overall. May just be an awkward phase given the drinking window or a bad bottle but I'm not sure how well this will age further given this bottle.
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This is the first bottle of this I have opened and I will wait 2-3 years before trying another. It was decanted for 90 minutes and served with a spicy Moroccan vegetarian stew over couscous. At this stage, the wine is very “ungenerous”. Structure dominates with aromas and flavors that are herbal and earthy leading to a rather rough acidic finish…..no fruit bomb this. There is nothing that seems off now, it is just very rustic and will hopefully round out and open up with time to provide the drinking pleasure that I find with the older bottles of Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses we are drinking now. In a strange sort of way, it brought back memories of the 1975 Meyney that I drank at a much too early stage. I don’t recommend this for current consumption, even with a good airing, but aging may benefit it considerably.
UPDATE 11/30/2020: Really bad luck with this wine. 6 of 9 bottles were badly corked and undrinkable. Hopefully this ratio improves with my remaining bottles.
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Drank over 2 days. First day, a nice nuanced nose that is reminiscent of Bordeaux. The palate is nothing like Bordeaux, with tart fruit, high acidity, some firm tannins, and a fair amount of horsey barnyard. This strikes me as a food wine. Second day, even more barnyard, but it did go well with pizza. Overall, this tastes like a $14 red Loire wine. Imagine that.
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Not my style and not worth it to me to cellar a $12 bottle on the hopes it turns a corner. Vegetal with tart fruit which fades to a longish tannic finish that reminds me of when I would chew on grape shoots as a kid.
I think I will give my remaining bottle to my friend DBP who clearly had a better experience with this wine in 2012.
I don't spend enough time in the Loire these days so to escape the heat spell we are currently "enjoying" in NJ I decided to take a bit of an impromptu trip. As this particular wine/winery is all the rage in NYC I made it my first stop on the cool summer of 2013 Loire Valley Tour.
For those in the tour group that had an "American palates" this wine was a little too food friendly, a little too refreshing, (a little too French?). I liked it and I understand from CS that it is supposed to be most age-worthy (so my remaining bottles shall disappear for a few years), but I didn't find the depth of character so compelling as to make me positive it will be all that much better in the far future. At least it didn't reek of Bell Pepper (Green Capsicum for those so technically inclined....) that so many Loire Cab Francs are "famous" for.
Tart and dark as one earlier reviewer called it and I agree. Raspberries, cranberries and cherries.
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Opened on Thursday, finished on Friday. When first opened the wine had a pleasant, if faint, raspberry flavour and earthy notes, but it was nothing earth shattering, and it tastes a bit bretty. Soon the tannin took over, so I left it overnight. Next day it tastes lifeless, watery even.
Last year I had the pleasure of going to Bourgueil, and I mentioned this wine to locals and they had ever heard of the domaine, associating the Guion name with Saumur instead. I did however have the luxury of trying some excellent local wines from the 2009 vintage, and I can assure you they positively sing compared with the Guion. If you ever go there, try the wines of Domaine de Chevalerie - magnificent.
Despite the hopes I had for this wine, having tried other 09s from the same region (which as everyone knows was a good year) which are much better and will age for decades, I can't see my remaining bottles of this wine going anywhere other than down the drain.
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I didn't love this bottle, and the wife really disliked it. On opening, very funky with little discernible fruit. After a few hours the fruit comes out, still a funky ride but more balanced. To me, this was pretty mediocre and not at the level of the best Loire producers. Showed OK on Day 2, this needs to be cellared a few years. Maybe better in 2017?
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Interesting fresh nose on this young cab franc. Tart dark fruit with vegetal and mineral notes. Good dry finish. Can't wait to see how this evolves in the coming years, but its excellent with food now.
Tart cherry, funk, green notes; earthy, funky, tart; medium grippy tannin, medium-plus acidity. Very nice nose, good palate, good length. Young, needs some time. Quite nice.
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Floral and mineral nose. Creamy Cabernet Franc fruit with firm tannins, great acidity and chunky minerality. Closed down tight after 20 minutes in the decanter. Let these rest for several years before opening more.
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Very young, this took a day sitting open in the bottle to fully come to life. Nice aromas of earth, crushed rocks, herbs and raspberry. The palate is tart upfront, then a hint of salinity, minerality for days, raspberry, florals and herbs. Fairly acidic, medium tannins. Nice wine for $14 and I look forward to seeing where it goes with some age.
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Wow, what a different wine from the Cuvée Domaine bottling. While the Domaine is light and herbal, this wine has some serious heft to it, despite the low 12.5% alcohol. The aromas can be smelled from feet away and express gravel, tobacco and tar, charred plum skins, dark dark cherries, and just the slightest spicy herbal note. This smells impeccable. The palate is nearly full bodied showing a rich, decadent texture. Quite tannic in feel with a strong grittiness, but this is coupled with a really nice smooth texture (like milk) that acts paradoxically against the tannins. Fantastic flavors of gravel and dark cherries. Similar flavors carry into the finish which is mildly tart and acidic. There's nothing out of place in this delicious wine. Perhaps the tannins are a little high on the finish, but I wouldn't hesitate to drink this now or over the coming 5-10 years.
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Tart cherry, delightful stemminess; earthy, leather; medium-plus gritty tannins, medium acidity. Somewhat backward and certainly not fruit-forward. Delightful and a fantastic value.
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I know I'm in the minority, but I was very disappointed with this wine. Very tannic, tart and a bit green, and very little fruit. I like an old world styled wine quite a bit, but this is a straight up mineral bomb. My wife loved it, and shared the opinion of everyone else here. So it must just be my strange palate.
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This was a fascinating bottle of wine. At dinner tonight (grilled tri-tip and mushroom-potato-leak au gratin) It elicited a long discussion of quasi-affected nose and palate descriptions whose entertainment value more-than-made up for the extremely low price. The verdict? Delicious. Purple/dark currant in color. Complex nose with hints of stone, wet concrete and dark, oiled shoe leather. I agree with other's descriptions of tartness up-front. At first the tannin structure seemed disappointingly limited, but this wine grew in the glass over time into a richly complex (albeit abbreviated) finish, recalling the stone notes in the nose and even some of the leather. I have one more bottle in the cellar, and it will be hard to keep it around as long as some folks are recommending.
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Sweet upfront raspberries and red cherries, with some earthier stuff as well. It's a little rustic and the tannins are a bit gritty, but the fruit is tasty and there's enough of it to buffer the tannin. Almost impossible to find a better red for $14.
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Wow. Awesome bottle. Having found the 2009 Domaine to be closed and tight, I assumed this would be tighter still. Instead its sweeter, more generous, and more open. Great stuff. Followed a 2007 SCM cab and a 2005 left bank bdx admirably.
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This has a tartness to it that has quickly grown on me, making it an excellent wine for regular drinking. I'll probably finish off my half-case in a couple months.
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Purplish in color, reminiscent of malbec, when the Californian Cab Franc consumed the day before was more rubyish...clean dark red fruit, herbs, mineral with a nice acidity. Simple and joyful at the same time.
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medium plus intensity ruby with medium fast tearing. It has medium plus intensity aromas of kirsch, pencil shavings, cedar, farmyard, leather and mint with touches of cassis and plum. In the mouth there is medium plus acid and tannin with flavours of sour cherry, leather, brambles and autumn leaves and tea leaves on a medium plus finish that carries the chalky tannin. Good.
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This is a decent, light red. I don't understand why other reviewers are recommending cellaring this. I would have guessed this is an okay wine that should be drunk now.
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Pretty much as others have described. Grit and gravel, really too young to fully enjoy but there's much promise here. If you're game for cellaring cheap stuff (get over yourself already), this is your wine. This was more open and enjoyable on day 2.
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A Week in Las Vegas; 3/26/2012-4/2/2012 (Las Vegas, NV): Great QPR. Tannins seemed a bit grittier tonight than before, but when mixed with the silky red fruit they seemed like a nice match. Just a wonderfully spicy, floral cabernet franc.
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Excellent QPR, wow! This drinks like real nice Bourgueil, I enjoy this wine immensely. If you have Loire Valley wines in your cellar, this is THE cellar blocker.
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Disjointed for the 1st hour but then really blossomd into a very good wine and totally open. Gravelly, plenty of tobacco and blackberry. A touch leafy with a good structure. Should age nicely.
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Young but very tasty, and surprisingly, seems even more approachable at this point than the standard cuvee domain. Started out a bit woody on the nose but this blew off quickly. Bigger and richer than the other Bourgueils we compared this to.
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No formal note taken, but I liked this better than the regular bottling; less tart. There is a lot of upside to this wine, and at $11 on a case purchase, I'll back up the truck.
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There are clearly many people to whom this wine holds great appeal. I am not one of them. Oh well. Too tight/tart/tannic for my tastes. Perhaps an off bottle, but more likely just not my thing.
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Tooch's Goodbye Tasting (Ripple - Cleveland Park - Washington, DC): While I was tasting this wine, I didn't know the price. I was amazed to hear it was less than $15 a bottle. This is a very serious cabernet franc that offers the depth and complexity of a wine three times the price. Wonderful aromas of sweet blackberries, tobacco, leaves and dense loam. The tannins are fine and almost feel leathery on the palate. The red plum fruit, smoke, beef brisket and green olive flavors glide over the palate. This wine is big, and could improve for years. Value of the year?
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For $15 this is an amazing value and will easy be a 90+ wine several years. Impressive balance of mineral and fruit on the nose. Nice light style Bourgueil
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At under $13 a bottle, this is easily the best value of the year. That said, categorizing this as just a value play really doesn't do this wine justice. It is flat out delicious -- and the density of fruit and the finish are nothing short of stunning -- and expect it will improve significantly with some patience. I would be impressed at $23 a bottle.
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4/22/2024 - JCGuthrie wrote:
Dusty red fruit, herbal, some leather notes. This still shows quite young, but definitely has some tertiary development beginning. Very enjoyable.
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10/31/2022 - sleepyhaus wrote:
Still youthful and not yet at peak, though perhaps getting there. Nose is as expected for a 13 year-old Guion, showing both some sweet fruit, almost roasted, savory red pepper and that cool note that Guion always shows, and just a touch of autumn forest. The ripe vintage makes itself known in some initial sweetness on the palate but this is quickly washed away by acid structure, and a bit of tannin. Right away everything is speaking loudly, but in turn, here. Over several hours this goes strong, with no signs of fading. Excellent length carried on its acid structure. The palate retains that cool, refreshing note. Hard to say what the fruit is, but it's there, and, again, with some 2009 sweetness, not in a sense of any residual sugar, as there is none, but with some forward nature to the fruit. Color is pure garnet, like a gem, really. First hints of tertiary notes on this, so maybe the next few years is the time to drink. 2009 might not lend itself to particularly long aging, not because of a surplus of ripeness, though it seemed that way when the vintage came out, following in the paradigm of 2006-2008, but more because it doesn't have the thicker skinned tannic structure of 2010 or even 2008. A lovely drink, purchased for, IIRC, $13. I wonder how more recent, riper vintages will age in comparison. Glad I bought enough of these to drink over the years. Guion is a silly value if you want to follow the life of an age-worthy wine which can develop slowly but costs a pittance. I'm not saying it will ever be as profound as some wines, but it sure is pleasant and enjoyable for a price that beats most supermarket plonk. Sadly down to just one bottle left of this, maybe 2 of the '10 and 2 of the '08, unless there are a few hiding on me. I went deeper on 14/15 and have a good deal of 18/19 as well. For my taste, Guion remains an outrageous value, but one that requires a patience not at all commiserate with the modest price.
I only opened because I feared possible seepage or damage, as the label was coated in dried wine, but needn't have feared. Cork was perfect and capsule spun freely. Something else must have broken and/or leaked on this at some point. Not sure when or what wine it was, but this was completely sound.
If trying to describe this to someone who doesn't know the wine at all, I'd say it's not an objectively "great" wine, but one that provides so much pleasure for someone who wants to understand how a properly made traditional wine can age, and really just for anyone who loves wine itself.
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12/29/2021 - drfloyd Likes this wine:
Pop and poured - beautiful nose, plush red fruits, a hint of cinnamon and spice - the wine is medium body with ample fruit - high acidity creates a mouth watering finish - quite nice and youthful.
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12/6/2021 - JohnSh wrote: 89 Points
I stumbled upon this in the cellar - a nice surprise. On pop and pour, it was quite mute, but over time it opened up. On the second night open, there's a light nose of mainly black fruits with slight earthy and herbal notes. The medium bodied and rather lean and tannic palate shows a mix of mainly black and some red fruit with iron, tobacco and earthy notes. No green notes at all on the palate, but as noted, the acid and tannins are quite healthy. This could use some more time I think, but I notice many people are saying it is past the due date? Hard to say if the fruit is diminishing. Great QPR as always (B+).
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5/28/2021 - andtheodor wrote:
Tart, lean, green, mulchy, tomato leaf. Extremely difficult to enjoy and I like Cab Franc.
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7/28/2020 - kdubler wrote:
FWS Review: Every time I drink Guion I wish I bought more, and I think I bought 6 of these... This has aged so gracefully. Tobacco, green pepper, menthol, black berries and so much more. This shows those organic earth aromas so beautifully. Could easily live another 5+ years, but I doubt this will get better, its just too good now!! This was my wine of the night with some wines that cost 3-5 times as much...
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5/5/2020 - galewskj wrote:
This last bottle seemed quite green and on it's way to vinegar. I'm not sure if it was over the hill or that is just the way Loire cabernet franc ages.
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8/19/2019 - tazerowe Likes this wine: 92 Points
This bottle was really rocking, completely open but still youthful. Medium body, with a mulberry and green pepper nose. The palate adds some herb and is fairly elegant, even Bordeaux-like. Great value. Can last for years.
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10/29/2018 - winchester-xi wrote:
Wholly fruitless. Guess I got off bottles, though they tasted fine on release.
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8/9/2018 - jcha24 wrote:
qpr is outstanding.....glad to have a few more of these in the cellar and it's a perfect example of a wine that can be aged vintage to vintage.
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4/26/2018 - kdubler wrote:
This dropped a ton of sediment. It was medium bodied with a very nice sour cherry or cranberry note. Some mistook it for a Pinot. Had a lot of earthiness and some tobacco leaf notes. Tannins have softened a great deal, but still has a bit of a gritty side. This is a very rustic wine, but very delicious. I am a fan of Cabernet Franc, so no surprise I'm a fan of this wine, but everybody else who tried it seamed to love it too! QPR is insane, and I'm glad to see that this $13 bottle has survived 9 years and will survive many more.
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3/25/2018 - John Nezlek wrote:
No TN -- too far in the past
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9/2/2017 - winchester-xi wrote:
This one didn't age so well, alas. Dried out, close to point of no return.
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9/1/2017 - Tubulus wrote: 88 Points
Well I certainly liked this more than my last bottle, 6 years ago. Remarkable for a $13 wine to age this well. It's clearly well along the aging curve as far as taste and nose, though the sweet fruit is still there. The dusty/drying tannins are still around as well, and I think will outlast any fruit. Acidity has calmed down I guess based on my last night, and it's just a nice, somewhat aged, food wine.
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2/18/2017 - gbauer wrote:
Meant to open the regular bottling. This was fine but still could use more time.
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11/11/2016 - tazerowe wrote: flawed
Corked to oblivion.
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8/20/2016 - galewskj wrote: 88 Points
Completely consistent with previous note of only 2 months ago. I should have waited longer before opening a bottle. I will wait 2+ years before opening my last bottle.
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8/15/2016 - sleepyhaus wrote:
Wow. This is really starting to drink well. If this continues its evolution should be in a great place in a couple more years.
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7/21/2016 - sleepyhaus wrote:
Drinking well, and likely a long way from peak. What another poster calls lean I'll call starkly mineral, and with tannic bite, but also with good fruit that is just starting to show some complexity and development, currently showing a blackberry profile that I often found in leaner vintages of this wine but that has until now been obscured in this vintage by the amount of unresolved material. The great thing about Loire CF is that no matter how big they are they finish so clean that they don't cloy at all. I suspect this will be much better in ten years, and may be amazing in 25. But for my part I'm down to two and doubt they'll make it another five. Going long on 14 and 15.
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6/16/2016 - galewskj wrote: 89 Points
Lean and thin, while still having a tannic bite. Lots of funk, but no obvious brett. I can dig it, but not sure I want to waste cellar space om wine like this.
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5/3/2016 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 91 Points
This has now been open for two hours. Aromas are soft (not angular), lean and clean, showing some aromas of green bell pepper some soil & gravel, and slight tartness. I like how integrated and smooth those notes are despite the intensity of some of the leaner notes. Palate entry is light, fairly thin in body, and still incredibly compact with tight tannin that develop quickly. Here there's still that green pepper note, but it's met with a surprising bubble gum brightness of fruit on the backdrop and this begins to take over if you choose to hold it on the palate for 20+ seconds like I do... and it's worth it. With my small sips I was only getting that slightly green note. High dial up of cutting acidity, impeccable bright cranberry, and incredible compact tannins on the finish. When one really pays attention to this wine it really has a lot to say. Incredible for $12. I'm bummed so many people just sip and swallow before allowing things like this wine the time necessary to develop in the mouth with ridiculous amounts of aeration. Before I sat down to write this note and pay attention, I was casually walking around the house drinking this and thinking, "Maybe 89 points." But gain, when I pay attention, it has so much more to say. Surprising comparing this note to my first bottle (this is the second) four years ago as I called that wine "hefty" and "nearly full bodied." Perhaps that was simply in relation to the Cuvee Domaine which I had just had prior, because this wine is still incredibly lithe and neat. That said, while I believe the wine's drinking window is open as it's quite lovely to drink today, it is also not going anywhere soon and I do believe it will improve additionally with cellar time. Right now the flavors are all still primary, so this has plenty of available room to develop with time.
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4/24/2016 - David_T wrote:
I felt my last bottle was young, this one seems a bit old. Sill some pleasant raspberry, sour plum and earth but very acidic with light tannins and tastes a bit tired overall. May just be an awkward phase given the drinking window or a bad bottle but I'm not sure how well this will age further given this bottle.
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4/3/2016 - VTCellarDweller Does not like this wine:
This is the first bottle of this I have opened and I will wait 2-3 years before trying another. It was decanted for 90 minutes and served with a spicy Moroccan vegetarian stew over couscous. At this stage, the wine is very “ungenerous”. Structure dominates with aromas and flavors that are herbal and earthy leading to a rather rough acidic finish…..no fruit bomb this. There is nothing that seems off now, it is just very rustic and will hopefully round out and open up with time to provide the drinking pleasure that I find with the older bottles of Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses we are drinking now.
In a strange sort of way, it brought back memories of the 1975 Meyney that I drank at a much too early stage. I don’t recommend this for current consumption, even with a good airing, but aging may benefit it considerably.
UPDATE 11/30/2020: Really bad luck with this wine. 6 of 9 bottles were badly corked and undrinkable. Hopefully this ratio improves with my remaining bottles.
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5/2/2015 - galewskj wrote: 87 Points
Drank over 2 days. First day, a nice nuanced nose that is reminiscent of Bordeaux. The palate is nothing like Bordeaux, with tart fruit, high acidity, some firm tannins, and a fair amount of horsey barnyard. This strikes me as a food wine. Second day, even more barnyard, but it did go well with pizza. Overall, this tastes like a $14 red Loire wine. Imagine that.
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3/30/2015 - JPH104 wrote:
Smoky tobacco. Soft and well integrated tannins. Fresh and feisty. Nice bottle for the price.
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11/13/2014 - schwank Does not like this wine:
Not my style and not worth it to me to cellar a $12 bottle on the hopes it turns a corner. Vegetal with tart fruit which fades to a longish tannic finish that reminds me of when I would chew on grape shoots as a kid.
I think I will give my remaining bottle to my friend DBP who clearly had a better experience with this wine in 2012.
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7/14/2014 - pgb67 wrote: 87 Points
Skips between funky and austere and certainly an interesting wine, but not one I'll be reaching for again, probably. Tart cherry and plum notes.
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6/22/2014 - jkwatson Likes this wine: 86 Points
Not bad. Not stunning or profound, but quite enjoyable.
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9/29/2013 - jkwatson wrote: 87 Points
Not bad, but also not very exciting. Very drinkable, not inspiring.
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7/17/2013 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 86 Points
I don't spend enough time in the Loire these days so to escape the heat spell we are currently "enjoying" in NJ I decided to take a bit of an impromptu trip. As this particular wine/winery is all the rage in NYC I made it my first stop on the cool summer of 2013 Loire Valley Tour.
For those in the tour group that had an "American palates" this wine was a little too food friendly, a little too refreshing, (a little too French?). I liked it and I understand from CS that it is supposed to be most age-worthy (so my remaining bottles shall disappear for a few years), but I didn't find the depth of character so compelling as to make me positive it will be all that much better in the far future. At least it didn't reek of Bell Pepper (Green Capsicum for those so technically inclined....) that so many Loire Cab Francs are "famous" for.
Tart and dark as one earlier reviewer called it and I agree. Raspberries, cranberries and cherries.
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5/24/2013 - Julian B wrote: 80 Points
Opened on Thursday, finished on Friday. When first opened the wine had a pleasant, if faint, raspberry flavour and earthy notes, but it was nothing earth shattering, and it tastes a bit bretty. Soon the tannin took over, so I left it overnight. Next day it tastes lifeless, watery even.
Last year I had the pleasure of going to Bourgueil, and I mentioned this wine to locals and they had ever heard of the domaine, associating the Guion name with Saumur instead. I did however have the luxury of trying some excellent local wines from the 2009 vintage, and I can assure you they positively sing compared with the Guion. If you ever go there, try the wines of Domaine de Chevalerie - magnificent.
Despite the hopes I had for this wine, having tried other 09s from the same region (which as everyone knows was a good year) which are much better and will age for decades, I can't see my remaining bottles of this wine going anywhere other than down the drain.
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5/24/2013 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 89 Points
Tart with some earthiness; fine tannins and medium-plus to high acidity. Very light, food-friendly, and delightful.
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3/12/2013 - ron m wrote:
I didn't love this bottle, and the wife really disliked it. On opening, very funky with little discernible fruit. After a few hours the fruit comes out, still a funky ride but more balanced. To me, this was pretty mediocre and not at the level of the best Loire producers. Showed OK on Day 2, this needs to be cellared a few years. Maybe better in 2017?
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2/9/2013 - SCMeyer Likes this wine: 90 Points
Interesting fresh nose on this young cab franc. Tart dark fruit with vegetal and mineral notes. Good dry finish. Can't wait to see how this evolves in the coming years, but its excellent with food now.
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2/9/2013 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 88 Points
Tart cherry, funk, green notes; earthy, funky, tart; medium grippy tannin, medium-plus acidity. Very nice nose, good palate, good length. Young, needs some time. Quite nice.
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1/3/2013 - bpj87 wrote: 89 Points
Floral and mineral nose. Creamy Cabernet Franc fruit with firm tannins, great acidity and chunky minerality. Closed down tight after 20 minutes in the decanter. Let these rest for several years before opening more.
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11/9/2012 - David_T wrote: 89 Points
Very young, this took a day sitting open in the bottle to fully come to life. Nice aromas of earth, crushed rocks, herbs and raspberry. The palate is tart upfront, then a hint of salinity, minerality for days, raspberry, florals and herbs. Fairly acidic, medium tannins. Nice wine for $14 and I look forward to seeing where it goes with some age.
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11/2/2012 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 90 Points
Wow, what a different wine from the Cuvée Domaine bottling. While the Domaine is light and herbal, this wine has some serious heft to it, despite the low 12.5% alcohol. The aromas can be smelled from feet away and express gravel, tobacco and tar, charred plum skins, dark dark cherries, and just the slightest spicy herbal note. This smells impeccable. The palate is nearly full bodied showing a rich, decadent texture. Quite tannic in feel with a strong grittiness, but this is coupled with a really nice smooth texture (like milk) that acts paradoxically against the tannins. Fantastic flavors of gravel and dark cherries. Similar flavors carry into the finish which is mildly tart and acidic. There's nothing out of place in this delicious wine. Perhaps the tannins are a little high on the finish, but I wouldn't hesitate to drink this now or over the coming 5-10 years.
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10/8/2012 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 88 Points
Tart cherry, delightful stemminess; earthy, leather; medium-plus gritty tannins, medium acidity. Somewhat backward and certainly not fruit-forward. Delightful and a fantastic value.
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8/30/2012 - tourette wrote: 80 Points
I know I'm in the minority, but I was very disappointed with this wine. Very tannic, tart and a bit green, and very little fruit. I like an old world styled wine quite a bit, but this is a straight up mineral bomb. My wife loved it, and shared the opinion of everyone else here. So it must just be my strange palate.
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8/26/2012 - Stevenyounger wrote:
This was a fascinating bottle of wine. At dinner tonight (grilled tri-tip and mushroom-potato-leak au gratin) It elicited a long discussion of quasi-affected nose and palate descriptions whose entertainment value more-than-made up for the extremely low price. The verdict? Delicious. Purple/dark currant in color. Complex nose with hints of stone, wet concrete and dark, oiled shoe leather. I agree with other's descriptions of tartness up-front. At first the tannin structure seemed disappointingly limited, but this wine grew in the glass over time into a richly complex (albeit abbreviated) finish, recalling the stone notes in the nose and even some of the leather. I have one more bottle in the cellar, and it will be hard to keep it around as long as some folks are recommending.
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6/29/2012 - coremill wrote: 88 Points
Sweet upfront raspberries and red cherries, with some earthier stuff as well. It's a little rustic and the tannins are a bit gritty, but the fruit is tasty and there's enough of it to buffer the tannin. Almost impossible to find a better red for $14.
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6/18/2012 - sleepyhaus wrote:
Wow. Awesome bottle. Having found the 2009 Domaine to be closed and tight, I assumed this would be tighter still. Instead its sweeter, more generous, and more open. Great stuff. Followed a 2007 SCM cab and a 2005 left bank bdx admirably.
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6/5/2012 - ID wrote:
This has a tartness to it that has quickly grown on me, making it an excellent wine for regular drinking. I'll probably finish off my half-case in a couple months.
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5/30/2012 - aadkins wrote:
Purplish in color, reminiscent of malbec, when the Californian Cab Franc consumed the day before was more rubyish...clean dark red fruit, herbs, mineral with a nice acidity. Simple and joyful at the same time.
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5/14/2012 - chatters wrote:
medium plus intensity ruby with medium fast tearing. It has medium plus intensity aromas of kirsch, pencil shavings, cedar, farmyard, leather and mint with touches of cassis and plum. In the mouth there is medium plus acid and tannin with flavours of sour cherry, leather, brambles and autumn leaves and tea leaves on a medium plus finish that carries the chalky tannin. Good.
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5/12/2012 - ID wrote:
This is a decent, light red. I don't understand why other reviewers are recommending cellaring this. I would have guessed this is an okay wine that should be drunk now.
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4/7/2012 - Chomsky wrote:
Pretty much as others have described. Grit and gravel, really too young to fully enjoy but there's much promise here. If you're game for cellaring cheap stuff (get over yourself already), this is your wine. This was more open and enjoyable on day 2.
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4/1/2012 - tooch wrote: 90 Points
A Week in Las Vegas; 3/26/2012-4/2/2012 (Las Vegas, NV): Great QPR. Tannins seemed a bit grittier tonight than before, but when mixed with the silky red fruit they seemed like a nice match. Just a wonderfully spicy, floral cabernet franc.
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3/15/2012 - wrrntl wrote: 89 Points
Excellent QPR, wow! This drinks like real nice Bourgueil, I enjoy this wine immensely. If you have Loire Valley wines in your cellar, this is THE cellar blocker.
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2/19/2012 - french16 wrote:
Disjointed for the 1st hour but then really blossomd into a very good wine and totally open. Gravelly, plenty of tobacco and blackberry. A touch leafy with a good structure. Should age nicely.
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1/31/2012 - Ron Felthoven wrote: 88 Points
Young but very tasty, and surprisingly, seems even more approachable at this point than the standard cuvee domain. Started out a bit woody on the nose but this blew off quickly. Bigger and richer than the other Bourgueils we compared this to.
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12/29/2011 - skisdeeppow wrote:
No formal note taken, but I liked this better than the regular bottling; less tart. There is a lot of upside to this wine, and at $11 on a case purchase, I'll back up the truck.
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12/24/2011 - JJKinch wrote: 91 Points
Nice balanced fruit, tobacco, really smooth & well balanced. Really enjoyable.
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12/16/2011 - Lessthanzero wrote: 89 Points
let sleep. years.
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12/12/2011 - Tubulus wrote:
There are clearly many people to whom this wine holds great appeal. I am not one of them. Oh well. Too tight/tart/tannic for my tastes. Perhaps an off bottle, but more likely just not my thing.
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11/28/2011 - tooch wrote:
Going Away Dinner @ Ripple (Ripple - Cleveland Park, Washington, D.C.): Exactly what I love in cabernet franc. Sweet red fruit on top of earthy mushrooms and rocks. Had great balance and awesome energy on the palate.
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11/28/2011 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 90 Points
Tooch's Goodbye Tasting (Ripple - Cleveland Park - Washington, DC): While I was tasting this wine, I didn't know the price. I was amazed to hear it was less than $15 a bottle. This is a very serious cabernet franc that offers the depth and complexity of a wine three times the price. Wonderful aromas of sweet blackberries, tobacco, leaves and dense loam. The tannins are fine and almost feel leathery on the palate. The red plum fruit, smoke, beef brisket and green olive flavors glide over the palate. This wine is big, and could improve for years. Value of the year?
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11/27/2011 - celtic67 wrote:
excellent, rustic but a tad more polished than the domaine & as others have noted, seems like it could use more time. killer QPR.
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11/18/2011 - wrrntl wrote: 89 Points
For $15 this is an amazing value and will easy be a 90+ wine several years. Impressive balance of mineral and fruit on the nose. Nice light style Bourgueil
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11/5/2011 - manonthemoon wrote: 88 Points
Really solid qpr for the price, decent fruit, great grip.
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11/3/2011 - tdelorme wrote:
At under $13 a bottle, this is easily the best value of the year. That said, categorizing this as just a value play really doesn't do this wine justice. It is flat out delicious -- and the density of fruit and the finish are nothing short of stunning -- and expect it will improve significantly with some patience. I would be impressed at $23 a bottle.
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10/13/2011 - gbauer wrote:
Solid, but definitely needs more time.
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