This bottle was past peak, some peppery earth aromas, very dry, the palate shows the acids and nuances of dried cherry, plum, pepper and cigar paper, melted and easy,works well with food, drink now
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was very like the bottle of a year ago and more simplistic (e.g. less leather, brett?) and more acidic than the discarded slightly corked bottle. Good though.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Lightly corked. This was a shame because, without this, I think this bottle would have been rounder and more complex than the substitute of the same wine straight from the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From magnum. I liked the attractive nose for it's leafy, bell pepper and black cherry/plum nose. This has medium weight and concentration with fairly pure leafy Cab Franc flavors, though there is a degree of funk from start to finish. No sense holding any longer -- fully mature.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
January birthdays (and porchetta) (Chicago, IL): From magnum. The nose is what gets me here -- it's a little too dirty and bretty for me. But if you hold your nose and actually taste the wine, it gets a lot cleaner. There's the classic green cabernet franc tones, but there's more weight to this than most Loire; I do quite enjoy that aspect of this wine. It's just that the nose is a little too far down the stinky slope for me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The 2000 vintage of this Chinon bottling was delicate, gracious and elegant at a similar age and the 1996 combined graciousness with a fair amount of body. This 2004 was far less gracious than both but more virile and youthful seeming with subdued aromas on the nose, tangy plum infused fruit, earthy minerals, a dab of wet leather plus marked acidity leading to a finish with some still angular tannins. Blind, I might have taken this for a more austere Chianti. I doubt if it will ever acquire the graciousness of those two other vintages but good wine and good pairing for beef.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Relatively light colour. Developed aroma with red berries, black olives and barnyard. Light bodied, juicy. Dry finish with quite high acidity. Elegant style, lacking a bit fruit, seems to be over the top?.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
No formal note. Very classically built and true to the grape and appellation. Surprising how little this had aged. Served blind and no one thought this had 11 years on it. More like three to four. Could have kept this unopened for a decade or more. But it was a satisfying pour also now.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Moderately translucent black cherry color. Dark, ripe and somewhat sweet nose with complex aromas of ripe blackcurrants and black cherries, some sweet smoky tones, a little bit of roasted bell pepper, a woody hint of pencil shavings and a lifted touch of sweet balsamic character. The wine is dry, medium-bodied and quite lean yet still enjoyably rich at the same time with nuanced flavors of ripe red cherries, some herbaceous bell pepper character, a little bit of juicy dark forest berries, light woody oak spice, a hint of smoke and a touch of sour cherry bitterness. The flavors show nice sense of development, but overall the wine comes across as much more youthful that one would expect from a Chinon at +10 years of age. Overall the wine is pretty structured and still quite tightly-knit with its moderately high acidity and pretty grippy medium-to-moderate tannins. The finish is rich, lengthy and complex with moderately astringent tannic grip and nuanced flavors of charred bell peppers and chipotle, roasted exotic spices, some graphite, a little bit of ripe dark berries, a hint of black pepper, light sour cherry bitterness and a woody touch of pencil shavings.
A very firm, serious and structured Chinon with a lot of depth and power. Not really a big wine, but the wine is nevertheless built like one; its flavors don't betray its age as the wine appears noticeably younger than what it truly is. Overall a varietally very typical Chinon Cabernet Franc with a lot of life ahead - although I must say that the wine is drinking really well already. Terrific stuff.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Confraria no Freddy: o primeiro Chinon bom a gente nao esquece. Aromas cresceram no copo, boa complexidade e persistencia. Redondo. Um pouco tanico ainda.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pig Roast (Solace): Poured next to the franc de pied version, and today this is the more interesting wine, albeit also more rugged owing to its thick tannin. It opens with a meaty, peppery scent that eventually segues to some of the candied fruitiness on the franc de pied. The peppery kick and taut acidity are what make the wine work today, and it's a great example of what's best about 2004 Chinon, tightly structured and not diluted or washed out like some. Vastly improved since two years ago.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine is off phylloxera resistant routes and I bought this wine to compare it with the one that is from the same vineyard and vintage but from non-phylloxera resistant roots. This is a typical bottle of Chinon with fragrant notes of cherry, stone, minerals and terrific acidity. The wine was bigger and more wound up than the Franc De Pied when opened. However, as the evening went on the wine opened up quite a bit more while the other actually faded on me a little. I thought the tannins gave the wines good structure and would allow the wine to age some more. Next day the wine cme out of my refrigerator which I think is a mistake with Chinons from non big vintages. These guys are just not big enough to refrigerate. They should be had at one sitting. Anyways, after I allowed the wine to to sit for a couple of hours it tasted a lot better. Overall nice experience and great opportunity to compare. I had a preference for this one over the Franc De Pied
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
full, deep fruit flavor with a touch of tobacco thrown in. a great match for pastrami! good acidity and balance and nice full finish. should continue to improve and develop. nice wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Austere, backwards wine with exoskeletal tannin constricting the apply fruit. Time in the glass releases some tobacco and briary accents, but the wine remains surly all night.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1/9/2024 - whits Likes this wine: 88 Points
This bottle was past peak, some peppery earth aromas, very dry, the palate shows the acids and nuances of dried cherry, plum, pepper and cigar paper, melted and easy,works well with food, drink now
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/25/2020 - eboracum Likes this wine: 89 Points
This was very like the bottle of a year ago and more simplistic (e.g. less leather, brett?) and more acidic than the discarded slightly corked bottle. Good though.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/25/2020 - eboracum wrote: flawed
Lightly corked. This was a shame because, without this, I think this bottle would have been rounder and more complex than the substitute of the same wine straight from the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/2/2020 - ccn wrote: 90 Points
Really in a perfect spot, showing balance, length, complexity, and maturity. Unlikely to improve but not falling apart either.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/13/2020 - Nanda wrote: 90 Points
From magnum. I liked the attractive nose for it's leafy, bell pepper and black cherry/plum nose. This has medium weight and concentration with fairly pure leafy Cab Franc flavors, though there is a degree of funk from start to finish. No sense holding any longer -- fully mature.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/13/2020 - acyso wrote: 88 Points
January birthdays (and porchetta) (Chicago, IL): From magnum. The nose is what gets me here -- it's a little too dirty and bretty for me. But if you hold your nose and actually taste the wine, it gets a lot cleaner. There's the classic green cabernet franc tones, but there's more weight to this than most Loire; I do quite enjoy that aspect of this wine. It's just that the nose is a little too far down the stinky slope for me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/7/2019 - Edouard84 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great cab franc from Loire. At peak, with still a lot of fruits
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/30/2019 - eboracum Likes this wine: 89 Points
The 2000 vintage of this Chinon bottling was delicate, gracious and elegant at a similar age and the 1996 combined graciousness with a fair amount of body. This 2004 was far less gracious than both but more virile and youthful seeming with subdued aromas on the nose, tangy plum infused fruit, earthy minerals, a dab of wet leather plus marked acidity leading to a finish with some still angular tannins. Blind, I might have taken this for a more austere Chianti. I doubt if it will ever acquire the graciousness of those two other vintages but good wine and good pairing for beef.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/9/2019 - AV2012 wrote:
Sharper, more full bodied than FdP version. Soft, barnyard and composte and mushroom hint, but also feels young.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/22/2017 - asheio wrote: 88 Points
Relatively light colour. Developed aroma with red berries, black olives and barnyard. Light bodied, juicy. Dry finish with quite high acidity. Elegant style, lacking a bit fruit, seems to be over the top?.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/14/2016 - ccn wrote: 89 Points
Fully mature, softened nicely, balanced, but not doing anything special. Only downhill from here. Drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/8/2016 - soyhead wrote:
nose - manure, toasted orange peel
mouth - catsup, savory cabbage. interesting wine
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2015 - avp wrote:
No formal note. Very classically built and true to the grape and appellation. Surprising how little this had aged. Served blind and no one thought this had 11 years on it. More like three to four. Could have kept this unopened for a decade or more. But it was a satisfying pour also now.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/2/2015 - forceberry wrote: 92 Points
Tasted blind.
Moderately translucent black cherry color. Dark, ripe and somewhat sweet nose with complex aromas of ripe blackcurrants and black cherries, some sweet smoky tones, a little bit of roasted bell pepper, a woody hint of pencil shavings and a lifted touch of sweet balsamic character. The wine is dry, medium-bodied and quite lean yet still enjoyably rich at the same time with nuanced flavors of ripe red cherries, some herbaceous bell pepper character, a little bit of juicy dark forest berries, light woody oak spice, a hint of smoke and a touch of sour cherry bitterness. The flavors show nice sense of development, but overall the wine comes across as much more youthful that one would expect from a Chinon at +10 years of age. Overall the wine is pretty structured and still quite tightly-knit with its moderately high acidity and pretty grippy medium-to-moderate tannins. The finish is rich, lengthy and complex with moderately astringent tannic grip and nuanced flavors of charred bell peppers and chipotle, roasted exotic spices, some graphite, a little bit of ripe dark berries, a hint of black pepper, light sour cherry bitterness and a woody touch of pencil shavings.
A very firm, serious and structured Chinon with a lot of depth and power. Not really a big wine, but the wine is nevertheless built like one; its flavors don't betray its age as the wine appears noticeably younger than what it truly is. Overall a varietally very typical Chinon Cabernet Franc with a lot of life ahead - although I must say that the wine is drinking really well already. Terrific stuff.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/22/2010 - Marcyrillo Likes this wine: 90 Points
Confraria no Freddy: o primeiro Chinon bom a gente nao esquece. Aromas cresceram no copo, boa complexidade e persistencia. Redondo. Um pouco tanico ainda.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/24/2008 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 92 Points
Pig Roast (Solace): Poured next to the franc de pied version, and today this is the more interesting wine, albeit also more rugged owing to its thick tannin. It opens with a meaty, peppery scent that eventually segues to some of the candied fruitiness on the franc de pied. The peppery kick and taut acidity are what make the wine work today, and it's a great example of what's best about 2004 Chinon, tightly structured and not diluted or washed out like some. Vastly improved since two years ago.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/14/2007 - duggarm@outlook.com wrote: 90 Points
This wine is off phylloxera resistant routes and I bought this wine to compare it with the one that is from the same vineyard and vintage but from non-phylloxera resistant roots. This is a typical bottle of Chinon with fragrant notes of cherry, stone, minerals and terrific acidity. The wine was bigger and more wound up than the Franc De Pied when opened. However, as the evening went on the wine opened up quite a bit more while the other actually faded on me a little. I thought the tannins gave the wines good structure and would allow the wine to age some more. Next day the wine cme out of my refrigerator which I think is a mistake with Chinons from non big vintages. These guys are just not big enough to refrigerate. They should be had at one sitting. Anyways, after I allowed the wine to to sit for a couple of hours it tasted a lot better. Overall nice experience and great opportunity to compare. I had a preference for this one over the Franc De Pied
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/28/2007 - br wrote:
full, deep fruit flavor with a touch of tobacco thrown in. a great match for pastrami! good acidity and balance and nice full finish. should continue to improve and develop. nice wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/18/2006 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 81 Points
Austere, backwards wine with exoskeletal tannin constricting the apply fruit. Time in the glass releases some tobacco and briary accents, but the wine remains surly all night.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment