This is one of my favorite vintages of this wine. It has shown so many faces in the last few years and each time blows me away. Dark fruit, tobacco, cigar box, graphite, and Coco are all very present in this rich example of this wine. it is striking to taste this side-by-side with the 2017 which is also a lovely wine but so far different in character.
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-- decanted approx. 1 hr before initial taste -- -- tasted non-blind over 2 - 3 hrs --
NOSE: medium-light aromatics, with noticeable pyrazine.
BODY: medium-light bodied.
TASTE: a bit medicinal -- camphor, and medicinal cherry; noticeable pyrazine; a touch stony; finish is light -- not much there. On the whole, I think this is better than the bottle I had last year, so some moderate optimism this is moving in the right direction.
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A tug of war going on between the slightly bitter tannins and the slightly sweet fruit. At present, the tannins are winning, though I think with time this will change. I’d recommend against opening now, but if you must, be sure to give it plenty of air.
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Darker and denser than the 2015, this shows dark red and black fruit on the nose with hints of mineral, earth and that typical Chinon herbal character. Again, riper and more fruit-forward than the 2015, but still has a nice balance between fruit, herbs and acid. 92 now, with good potential for another point or so down the road.
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Clear pale ruby; clean medium plus nose of preserved red cherries, barnyard, yeast, soil and vegetal; dry; medium plus acidity; medium tannins; medium plus alcohol; medium plus body; medium plus flavour intensity; palate is tarter with addition of tar, leather and cocoa; long finish; drink now or in 5 years; definitely a funky, grown up wine - reminds me of Pearl Morissette; difficult to drink without food
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Revisited this recently as part of quite a good lineup and it was wine of the night. Needed an hour+ of air to really shine, but then lovely red fruit, balanced but quite present pyrazines, just starting to show some umami tertiary flavors. Delicate but with pleasant grip. Years and years of life left, I'm sure, but already a pleasure.
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This was a nice follow-up to the Sociando. I served it at cellar temp initially since the temperature has yet to go down here. I really like the 2016. I’ve seen some positive and negative reviews but gosh darn it, every bottle I have opened hit the spot for me. We’re on the savory spectrum once again: green, earth, leather and some pepperiness. The fruit is there with notes of plums and a tad of red berries. Medium-minus / Light-plus body, fine tannins showing up and hitting the gums, Medium-minus acidity and decent finish with some crushed stones/salinity showing up and inviting lip-smack. I’m really liking those 2016 as the jack-of-all-trades. I can see pairing this with a bunch of foods.
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Seems to want a bit more time in the bottle as the wine is rough even after a few hrs of decanting, missing some of those pretty floral notes. Still, great to have with some steak frites after the decant. Black and red fruited, peppers, earth, some green pyrazine notes. I'd love to see this in 5+ years.
-- decanted 1 hr. before initial taste -- -- tasted non-blind over a couple hrs. --
NOSE: medium+ expressiveness; typical Chinon plum & pyrazine; strong mineral note; hint of mesquite.
BODY: violet-garnet color of medium depth; medium bodied; approximately one tsp. of large-grained sediment.
TASTE: medium-low to medium acidity; not much tannin; open/approachable; very obviously Cabernet Franc; little bit of leather; light oak; not terribly structured, but it is well-balanced; on the thin/watery side; Drink Now and over the near term, unless you believe it will flesh-out with age.
50, 5, 13, 14, 6= 88
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Black and red cherry, rose, shishito and shiso, pencil shavings, just a touch of brett; biggish, polished fruit with the other elements supporting. A little leanish palate, but a fruity, green, cigar-wrapper finish. Low 90s; drunk as a civilian without scoring.
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Ruby color getting lighter out towards the edge of the glass. Really nice nose: strawberry, the cab franc vegetal note. Tannins are very mellow, medium plus acid, lower alcohol, elongated finish. Elegant, kind of seems like a Burgundian wine (maybe that’s unfair to Chinon). I understand the JR score!
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The Picasses had much more character. Green and root vegetables on the nose. There’s plenty of fruit but the profile is all savory and lip smacking finish. Very nice.
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A: Med ruby N: medium intensity, red cherry, cassis, black cherry, flint, wet stones, green bell pepper, green peppercorn, black pepper, a touch of leather and meats; developing P: dry, med+ acid, med- tannin, med alcohol, med body, med+ intensity, similar characteristics on the palate with more minerality and saline notes, med+ finish Q: perfect balance, solid length, great intensity and complexity. Outstanding, can drink now but has potential for aging
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Hmm, a bit lackluster, and not seeing the JG94 in this, though maybe just in a mute phase? Lightweight, elegant, with nice red strawberry fruit, green peppercorn and soft, friendly tannins. I like it, But it’s rather simple, lacking delineation, and without the acid and structure I’d expect from a 2016 chinon. Cork soaked up half way on one side; possibly not a totally correct bottle? 87 if scoring.
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Didn't take notes and enjoyed in a restaurant - thought I was getting a '15 and got this instead. Paired well with steaks - clearly cab franc (green peppercorn, bell pepper) with nice black cherry fruit and tobacco. 91+ tonight with room for improvement with bottle age. Would buy again.
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Bottle 1344g. Modestly intense aromas of raspberry and red currant, earth and meat, with a floral top note. Dry, with elevated acidity, modest tannins, light to medium-bodied, 12.5°. Modest fruit on the palate, savory and saline. Components in balance, more interesting than just glou-glou, but I think this needs a little air to wake it up.
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opened but did not decant, poured off a taste, let sit for 2 hours. This is lovely wine, albeit not a great version of Raffault Picasses. The perfume is the strongest aspect of the wine - bright and fresh, red fruit (as opposed to the lush blackberry fruit that I find is typical of this wine), graphite minerality, hints of green earth and dried flowers. So pretty on the nose, and the particular minerality on the nose is typical of the Loire region. The palate is also fresh and with good fruit, a strong mineral sense, but does not have the density to leave a real impression. Particularly through the midpalate to the finish, where the wine tends towards dilute. It's delicious and great with dinner, but does not seem to me like a good candidate for aging. It's probably drinking as well now as it ever will.
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Lunch with Alex: My contribution. First time trying a Raffault and very impressed. Very elegant, Burgundian nose but the grippy tannins suggested it couldn’t have been a Pinot. Lovely balance between the silky red fruit from a warm vintage and the classic Loire Cab Franc character, which was only apparent a couple of hours in with a green streak and a hint of brett. Still very young and will have a long life ahead.
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Cellar temp. Kind of an off nose… strawberry, gravelly, green bell pepper touch of mildew will see if it blows off. Not fruity. Vegetal notes are most prominent. On palate, denser than expected, orange, green pepper, some tertiary stone. Not much to draw me in, maybe a better food wine and was good with pizza for me.
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Much more open than the 2015 tasted a few weeks ago. Classic cab franc nose, green and fresh. Palate is light elegant and energetic, not the ultimate in depth at this point but an enjoyable bottle of wine.
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Much better than a year ago, which might have been a poor bottle. Lovely youthful, strawberry-like red fruit on the nose, some lead pencil and green notes. Quite elegant on the palate, more strawberry, floral notes, elderflower, savoury notes, medium tannins. I maintain that this is quite a light vintage and that serving temperature matters.
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Deep and rich purple color. Smell of dirt and spices. Upfront taste is a bit green, but followed by nice spice and berries. Nice wine for dinner on a crisp fall evening.
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P&p; seems to be drinking well right away. Smells good - cherry, tobacco/black tea/dried leaves, dried flowers/potpourri, spice, with fairly moderate sappy/vegetal greenness. No noticeable Brett as mentioned in a recent note (but I'm not super sensitive to it). Similar on the palate, mainly darkish cherries and leaves, tasty and easy to drink, light- to medium-bodied, fairly grippy tannins, decent acidity, hint of yeast/bread/multivitamin but not a deal breaker. This doesn't seem like one of the great vintages of Les Picasses, I don't know if it can age for decades, but still quite a characterful and enjoyable wine and a good value as always.
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Menthol and green pepper nose with some dark fruit hiding in the back. Lighter bodied, definitely tight and a little closed off but plenty of signs that this will be great in like 2-5 years. More menthol, blackcurrant, chocolate.
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Nose shows an ash like note most prominently. Along with cherry, stone, old cedar and a bit of mineral. The palate is somewhat closed. I think more open when first popped. Very fine, almost coating tannin. Plenty of acidity that doesn't call attention to itself. Cigar box character over cherry. There is an odd softness from the midpalate towards the finish that I haven't encountered or really know how to describe. That is a minor concern as overall this is another strong wine. Ridiculous value for fans of classic Loire CFranc. It's going to require some patience for its best days but the potential is strong. I like it better than I liked the '14 at this point.
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Consistent with everyone else’s notes. Tart cranberry, soil, green peppercorn, bell pepper, some warm baking spices. It needs lots of oxygen in its youth though, as the first glass was just full of sweaty brett…. a bit too much for my palate.
I concur with another user’s suggestion to drink this chilled. When it’s at or slightly below cellar temp, it’s tart, refreshing, light, and earthy. As it warms up all of the notes get a bit muddled.
Overall this is a lot different from the New World Cab Francs I’ve had—far lighter, tarter, and less aggressively green. I’m going to seek out some older vintages of this to see how years of bottle age affect it.
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Tasted at Her Place. A really stark contrast to the ar.pe.pe we had before this. Not high toned and acid forward like that bottle. Instead, deep in the earth. Soil and green peppercorn on the nose. Hints of warn spices. The palate is all dark fruit, a light greenness, and a lightly iron tinted finish. Tannins were bold, probably would benefit from time, but half our table picked it as favorite of the two we had.
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Nose: Blackberries, balsamic, wet clay, decomposing leaves, a gritty sweetness. Palate: Muted blackberries and dark cherries, a little tomato leaf, pretty one-dimensional; velvetty tannins that leave a bit of lingering sweetness.
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Not very deep in colour or full in body but elegant and moreish. Nice red fruit, less poivron than in many, fine minerals, moreish acidity and decent backbone. We couldn't resist finishing the bottle in one sitting. 12.5% alcohol helps. A year or two should bring greater complexity. Very good.
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Mid ruby with initially rather muted nose of raspberry, peppers, redcurrant, white pepper. Nice mouthfeel with pretty fine tannins and strong acidity. Some more savoury leather and meaty elements on palate with a nice finish in same vein. Good balance/structure and should benefit from some extra ageing time. (Day 2 - straight out fridge, really nice with bit of chill and flavours little more defined)
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Bright clear red. Appealing nose of crunchy red berries and spice- let's say raspberry with a touch of cherry and some nutmeg. Pleasant balance, with quite good acidity. Feels fresh but not overly complex. Very enjoyable, with nothing out of place. Reasonable value. 87-88pts.
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The nose has all the right characteristics of a young Chinon. On the palate, feels like a lighter vintage, not as impressive as 2014 or 2015. We served it too warm initially; when the wine is chilled a few degrees it shows much better. It's been said that "chilling wine accentuates the tannins" and the 2016 needs this to get the right balance.
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4/10/2024 - Wine MOB Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is one of my favorite vintages of this wine. It has shown so many faces in the last few years and each time blows me away. Dark fruit, tobacco, cigar box, graphite, and Coco are all very present in this rich example of this wine. it is striking to taste this side-by-side with the 2017 which is also a lovely wine but so far different in character.
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4/8/2024 - grafstrb wrote:
-- decanted approx. 1 hr before initial taste --
-- tasted non-blind over 2 - 3 hrs --
NOSE: medium-light aromatics, with noticeable pyrazine.
BODY: medium-light bodied.
TASTE: a bit medicinal -- camphor, and medicinal cherry; noticeable pyrazine; a touch stony; finish is light -- not much there. On the whole, I think this is better than the bottle I had last year, so some moderate optimism this is moving in the right direction.
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2/28/2024 - winchester-xi wrote:
A tug of war going on between the slightly bitter tannins and the slightly sweet fruit. At present, the tannins are winning, though I think with time this will change. I’d recommend against opening now, but if you must, be sure to give it plenty of air.
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2/6/2024 - JCGuthrie wrote: 92 Points
Darker and denser than the 2015, this shows dark red and black fruit on the nose with hints of mineral, earth and that typical Chinon herbal character. Again, riper and more fruit-forward than the 2015, but still has a nice balance between fruit, herbs and acid. 92 now, with good potential for another point or so down the road.
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11/17/2023 - Brent25 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Clear pale ruby; clean medium plus nose of preserved red cherries, barnyard, yeast, soil and vegetal; dry; medium plus acidity; medium tannins; medium plus alcohol; medium plus body; medium plus flavour intensity; palate is tarter with addition of tar, leather and cocoa; long finish; drink now or in 5 years; definitely a funky, grown up wine - reminds me of Pearl Morissette; difficult to drink without food
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9/26/2023 - jhbrower1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Revisited this recently as part of quite a good lineup and it was wine of the night. Needed an hour+ of air to really shine, but then lovely red fruit, balanced but quite present pyrazines, just starting to show some umami tertiary flavors. Delicate but with pleasant grip. Years and years of life left, I'm sure, but already a pleasure.
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9/23/2023 - nealmc Likes this wine:
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8/25/2023 - philmtl Likes this wine:
This was a nice follow-up to the Sociando. I served it at cellar temp initially since the temperature has yet to go down here. I really like the 2016. I’ve seen some positive and negative reviews but gosh darn it, every bottle I have opened hit the spot for me. We’re on the savory spectrum once again: green, earth, leather and some pepperiness. The fruit is there with notes of plums and a tad of red berries. Medium-minus / Light-plus body, fine tannins showing up and hitting the gums, Medium-minus acidity and decent finish with some crushed stones/salinity showing up and inviting lip-smack. I’m really liking those 2016 as the jack-of-all-trades. I can see pairing this with a bunch of foods.
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6/4/2023 - arasse Likes this wine: 93 Points
Burgundian smooth subtle lovely Cab Franc.
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4/28/2023 - HandmadeHomemade Likes this wine:
Seems to want a bit more time in the bottle as the wine is rough even after a few hrs of decanting, missing some of those pretty floral notes. Still, great to have with some steak frites after the decant. Black and red fruited, peppers, earth, some green pyrazine notes. I'd love to see this in 5+ years.
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4/24/2023 - grafstrb wrote: 88 Points
-- decanted 1 hr. before initial taste --
-- tasted non-blind over a couple hrs. --
NOSE: medium+ expressiveness; typical Chinon plum & pyrazine; strong mineral note; hint of mesquite.
BODY: violet-garnet color of medium depth; medium bodied; approximately one tsp. of large-grained sediment.
TASTE: medium-low to medium acidity; not much tannin; open/approachable; very obviously Cabernet Franc; little bit of leather; light oak; not terribly structured, but it is well-balanced; on the thin/watery side; Drink Now and over the near term, unless you believe it will flesh-out with age.
50, 5, 13, 14, 6= 88
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4/12/2023 - englishman's claret wrote:
Black and red cherry, rose, shishito and shiso, pencil shavings, just a touch of brett; biggish, polished fruit with the other elements supporting. A little leanish palate, but a fruity, green, cigar-wrapper finish. Low 90s; drunk as a civilian without scoring.
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3/26/2023 - JeremyBR Likes this wine:
Ruby color getting lighter out towards the edge of the glass. Really nice nose: strawberry, the cab franc vegetal note. Tannins are very mellow, medium plus acid, lower alcohol, elongated finish. Elegant, kind of seems like a Burgundian wine (maybe that’s unfair to Chinon). I understand the JR score!
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3/26/2023 - philmtl Likes this wine:
Drank with a 2016 Roches Neuves Franc de pieds.
The Picasses had much more character. Green and root vegetables on the nose. There’s plenty of fruit but the profile is all savory and lip smacking finish. Very nice.
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3/12/2023 - tjb12 Likes this wine: 94 Points
A: Med ruby
N: medium intensity, red cherry, cassis, black cherry, flint, wet stones, green bell pepper, green peppercorn, black pepper, a touch of leather and meats; developing
P: dry, med+ acid, med- tannin, med alcohol, med body, med+ intensity, similar characteristics on the palate with more minerality and saline notes, med+ finish
Q: perfect balance, solid length, great intensity and complexity. Outstanding, can drink now but has potential for aging
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2/25/2023 - ohne_musik wrote:
Hmm, a bit lackluster, and not seeing the JG94 in this, though maybe just in a mute phase? Lightweight, elegant, with nice red strawberry fruit, green peppercorn and soft, friendly tannins. I like it, But it’s rather simple, lacking delineation, and without the acid and structure I’d expect from a 2016 chinon. Cork soaked up half way on one side; possibly not a totally correct bottle? 87 if scoring.
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1/30/2023 - CWilliam wrote: 91 Points
Didn't take notes and enjoyed in a restaurant - thought I was getting a '15 and got this instead. Paired well with steaks - clearly cab franc (green peppercorn, bell pepper) with nice black cherry fruit and tobacco. 91+ tonight with room for improvement with bottle age. Would buy again.
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1/27/2023 - ocassiuso Likes this wine:
Bottle 1344g. Modestly intense aromas of raspberry and red currant, earth and meat, with a floral top note. Dry, with elevated acidity, modest tannins, light to medium-bodied, 12.5°. Modest fruit on the palate, savory and saline. Components in balance, more interesting than just glou-glou, but I think this needs a little air to wake it up.
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1/17/2023 - brooklynguy Likes this wine:
opened but did not decant, poured off a taste, let sit for 2 hours. This is lovely wine, albeit not a great version of Raffault Picasses. The perfume is the strongest aspect of the wine - bright and fresh, red fruit (as opposed to the lush blackberry fruit that I find is typical of this wine), graphite minerality, hints of green earth and dried flowers. So pretty on the nose, and the particular minerality on the nose is typical of the Loire region. The palate is also fresh and with good fruit, a strong mineral sense, but does not have the density to leave a real impression. Particularly through the midpalate to the finish, where the wine tends towards dilute. It's delicious and great with dinner, but does not seem to me like a good candidate for aging. It's probably drinking as well now as it ever will.
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1/14/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote: 91 Points
Lunch with Alex: My contribution. First time trying a Raffault and very impressed. Very elegant, Burgundian nose but the grippy tannins suggested it couldn’t have been a Pinot. Lovely balance between the silky red fruit from a warm vintage and the classic Loire Cab Franc character, which was only apparent a couple of hours in with a green streak and a hint of brett. Still very young and will have a long life ahead.
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12/26/2022 - Discobiscuits42 wrote: 88 Points
Cellar temp. Kind of an off nose… strawberry, gravelly, green bell pepper touch of mildew will see if it blows off. Not fruity. Vegetal notes are most prominent. On palate, denser than expected, orange, green pepper, some tertiary stone. Not much to draw me in, maybe a better food wine and was good with pizza for me.
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11/19/2022 - Vas19 wrote: 91 Points
Much more open than the 2015 tasted a few weeks ago. Classic cab franc nose, green and fresh. Palate is light elegant and energetic, not the ultimate in depth at this point but an enjoyable bottle of wine.
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11/6/2022 - spinnin_and_sippin wrote: 86 Points
Was expecting a bit more from this. No real sense of terroir but is a structurally sound generic red.
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10/29/2022 - UrbanGrill Likes this wine: 91 Points
Much better than a year ago, which might have been a poor bottle. Lovely youthful, strawberry-like red fruit on the nose, some lead pencil and green notes. Quite elegant on the palate, more strawberry, floral notes, elderflower, savoury notes, medium tannins. I maintain that this is quite a light vintage and that serving temperature matters.
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10/1/2022 - MAC49 wrote: 91 Points
Deep and rich purple color. Smell of dirt and spices. Upfront taste is a bit green, but followed by nice spice and berries. Nice wine for dinner on a crisp fall evening.
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8/31/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Its got the green. But a little bit more soft and suave. Les notes that this is delicious. To me it tastes a little bit "on day two."
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8/21/2022 - Beerzebub Likes this wine:
P&p; seems to be drinking well right away. Smells good - cherry, tobacco/black tea/dried leaves, dried flowers/potpourri, spice, with fairly moderate sappy/vegetal greenness. No noticeable Brett as mentioned in a recent note (but I'm not super sensitive to it). Similar on the palate, mainly darkish cherries and leaves, tasty and easy to drink, light- to medium-bodied, fairly grippy tannins, decent acidity, hint of yeast/bread/multivitamin but not a deal breaker. This doesn't seem like one of the great vintages of Les Picasses, I don't know if it can age for decades, but still quite a characterful and enjoyable wine and a good value as always.
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8/17/2022 - oxidatif wrote:
Menthol and green pepper nose with some dark fruit hiding in the back. Lighter bodied, definitely tight and a little closed off but plenty of signs that this will be great in like 2-5 years. More menthol, blackcurrant, chocolate.
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7/14/2022 - WetRock wrote:
Nose shows an ash like note most prominently. Along with cherry, stone, old cedar and a bit of mineral. The palate is somewhat closed. I think more open when first popped. Very fine, almost coating tannin. Plenty of acidity that doesn't call attention to itself. Cigar box character over cherry. There is an odd softness from the midpalate towards the finish that I haven't encountered or really know how to describe. That is a minor concern as overall this is another strong wine. Ridiculous value for fans of classic Loire CFranc. It's going to require some patience for its best days but the potential is strong. I like it better than I liked the '14 at this point.
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6/29/2022 - epiphany wrote: 88 Points
I like the nose but the taste is a little out of balance. There are better options out there. Would not buy again.
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6/18/2022 - evjoh Likes this wine:
Consistent with everyone else’s notes. Tart cranberry, soil, green peppercorn, bell pepper, some warm baking spices. It needs lots of oxygen in its youth though, as the first glass was just full of sweaty brett…. a bit too much for my palate.
I concur with another user’s suggestion to drink this chilled. When it’s at or slightly below cellar temp, it’s tart, refreshing, light, and earthy. As it warms up all of the notes get a bit muddled.
Overall this is a lot different from the New World Cab Francs I’ve had—far lighter, tarter, and less aggressively green. I’m going to seek out some older vintages of this to see how years of bottle age affect it.
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6/3/2022 - Bagwhat Likes this wine: 89 Points
Tasted at Her Place. A really stark contrast to the ar.pe.pe we had before this. Not high toned and acid forward like that bottle. Instead, deep in the earth. Soil and green peppercorn on the nose. Hints of warn spices. The palate is all dark fruit, a light greenness, and a lightly iron tinted finish. Tannins were bold, probably would benefit from time, but half our table picked it as favorite of the two we had.
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5/24/2022 - stamperb Likes this wine: 87 Points
Nose: Blackberries, balsamic, wet clay, decomposing leaves, a gritty sweetness. Palate: Muted blackberries and dark cherries, a little tomato leaf, pretty one-dimensional; velvetty tannins that leave a bit of lingering sweetness.
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5/9/2022 - eboracum Likes this wine: 90 Points
Not very deep in colour or full in body but elegant and moreish. Nice red fruit, less poivron than in many, fine minerals, moreish acidity and decent backbone. We couldn't resist finishing the bottle in one sitting. 12.5% alcohol helps. A year or two should bring greater complexity. Very good.
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4/4/2022 - JonathanFlavell Likes this wine:
Mid ruby with initially rather muted nose of raspberry, peppers, redcurrant, white pepper. Nice mouthfeel with pretty fine tannins and strong acidity. Some more savoury leather and meaty elements on palate with a nice finish in same vein. Good balance/structure and should benefit from some extra ageing time. (Day 2 - straight out fridge, really nice with bit of chill and flavours little more defined)
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1/5/2022 - sjw_11 wrote: 87 Points
Bright clear red. Appealing nose of crunchy red berries and spice- let's say raspberry with a touch of cherry and some nutmeg. Pleasant balance, with quite good acidity. Feels fresh but not overly complex. Very enjoyable, with nothing out of place. Reasonable value. 87-88pts.
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9/25/2021 - UrbanGrill Likes this wine: 88 Points
The nose has all the right characteristics of a young Chinon. On the palate, feels like a lighter vintage, not as impressive as 2014 or 2015. We served it too warm initially; when the wine is chilled a few degrees it shows much better. It's been said that "chilling wine accentuates the tannins" and the 2016 needs this to get the right balance.
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