September 22, 2022 - Very fresh tasting for something with a bit of bottle age on it! Plum, leafy greens, bramble, iron, white pepper, eucalyptus, thyme.
July 2, 2022 - Tobacco, menthol, sage, mushrooms, stewed ultr-ripe cherries stuck under the under brush. Slight VA action hanging out there. I do love these wines.
June 4, 2022 - From 375 bottle, Riedel cab glass, 1-2 hrs follow. Dark garnet. Nose of mushrooms and macerated strawberries, wet earth, strangely enough lemon, and old spices. Fruit very much fading on palate, lots of mushroomy flavors. Some heat. Finish medium. With fruit fading and heavy secondary/tertiary recommend drinking soon. Again from 375, but no reason to hold. Took a good 1/2 for funk to blow off.....this will not be a crowd pleaser, but for those who enjoy a Chinon....maybe slightly interesting.
January 22, 2022 - From 375 ml. Stood up for several days and decanted off sediment for 3h then back in bottle. Note is 4h after decant. Aromas of brown leaves, forest floor, herbs, green peppers, some green stems and blackberries. Palate is a lovely, seamless melange of ripe blackberries, green stems, earth, green peppers and minerals. Med-full body with excellent acids and medium tannins. Finish fades a bit and ends w a bit of alcoholic heat. The flavors on the palate were just there - all at once. Lovely balance with nothing out of place until the small amount of alcohol on the finish. Lovely. Still has plenty of life and would say that it can evolve more for at least another 5 years, even in this smaller format. But it's also drinklng really well right now. 92+
December 23, 2020 - Very smooth. Nice elements of the barnyard typical of Cab Franc. Smokey tobacco nose. Nice acidity on the fruity cherry palate.
October 10, 2018 - Opened tonight with pan-seared ribeye. A nose of red fruits, smoke, pencil lead, tobacco and herbs promises great things. On the palate, it was medium-bodied with deep fruit, bright acidity and some fine tannins in the finish.
March 5, 2018 - Nice developed, dried but ripe fruit, cherries, cassis, pronounced pyrazine, mint, dusty, iron, bit watery but without being thin, ripe tannins, good acid.
June 25, 2017 - Showing some signs of development at this stage. I'm not in a hurry to drink my last one since fruit is still good. This is in a great spot at the moment.
November 21, 2016 - Olga Raffault Vertical (Cherry Circle Room): Nose: The nose is highly perfumed and elegant with red cherries, rose petals, violets, herbs, root vegetables, and some tobacco notes. There is good depth with the nose favoring the upper register.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity and medium+ tannins. The tannins are still quite youthful with some chewiness to them along with red cherries, roe petals, herbs, tobacco, and root vegetables.
Overall: This is a lovely Chinon that is entering its window. It is a long distance runner, but the perfumes are beguiling right now. This can certainly develop for another 5+ years, but there is no shame in opening it right now.
February 29, 2016 - Corked!