Wow is this good. It’s got a touch of supplemental richness from a riper year, but just enough to ensure it’s properly medium-bodied, and not in any way overripe. A little hit of damp earth opens it up, and then it’s all red fruit and green tobacco. Pretty much archetypal Cabernet Franc. Reminds me a bit of Sociando Mallet, and that’s a good thing. Still has a decent tannic bite on the finish, but there’s more than enough depth to counterbalance it, or if you have more (sadly I do not) to let it age for a while longer. I expected this wine to be good, but not this good. Really fine showing.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Mouth-watering aromas of sweet raspberry and violets, with hints of peonies too - delightful. On the palate, a bright attack of raspberry, then a series of waves of flavours, ranging from violet, to plum, to blueberry, to blackcurrant, then back to raspberry, and so forth. Quite ripe, quite rich, but not at all syrupy, this has a strong sense of place with that Chinon chalkiness, a slight hint of green to the finish. The fruit is ripe but subtle, oozing class and elegance. Much better than a few years ago, this is now absolutely delicious, but it is only at the start of its plateau, so no hurry.
The colour was very dark and intense. The nose, like the taste, was very closed at first, taking a good two hours in the decanter to open up, before revealing aromas of forest fruits, yeast and eucalyptus, with spices and charcoal. The attack is powerful, silky and ripe, but the actual flavours are quite muted at first; the middle section is full-bodiedn but a little chalky, with a strong sense of bell pepper, before a rich seam of fruit, where at last the flavours become more distinct: dark cherry, blackberry and finally some blackcurrant. The finish is odd - very disjointed: at the back of the palate, a broad, sweeping wave of indistinct fruit with chalky greenness, which slips down the throat, whilst at the front a strong taste of sweet blackberry which tingles the tongue, remaining long after the wine has gone. Weird.
Completely different to the other Chinons I've tasted recently, this was bigger and broader in scope. The body and silkiness are very impressive - this is clearly high-class wine, but which succeeds in tasting both ripe and unripe. The ripe fruit tastes a little extracted and the green cloak is almost caricatural - perfect for convincing doubting newcomers that the rumours were correct and that Chinons are not for them.
Tasting it, I was reminded of the comment by Erwan Faiveley, quoted in Stephen Tanzer's excellent article last week - “the only Burgundy wine that a winemaker in Bordeaux can understand.” This is a Chinon that Bordeaux lovers would understand, but which not all would like. It has the power and body of Bordeaux, unlike the Clos Guillot I tried last week, but without the slightly sweet flavours of modern Bordeaux. There's something Pauillacais about it, but somehow unfulfilled. It reminded me of the Duhart 2008 I tasted last year - good, but with a nagging greenness. Much like Sociando-Mallet can taste, so if you like that, this is for you.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Full of fresh, crunchy berries, a little grass sap, pepper and earth. The tannins seem quite soft - if they've been this way or are beginning to melt, I can't tell. For me, this comes across as an accessible and bright expression of Loire cabernet franc. Elegant but fun too.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very brief notes from TTTG (blind) (Vernon, CT): Very ripe fruit with some herbal notes. Somewhat hot. Seems much denser and more viscous than its medium weight. Good acidity. Hold. Please hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Third Thursday tasting group (Vernon, CT): This is a beast. Incredibly dense and concentrated with lots of ripe dark berried fruit tinged with faint herbal and earthy notes. With time the fruit takes a step back and it becomes more savoury, but the sheer density of the fruit and the amount of tannin makes this pretty challenging to drink now, and it's more about potential than pleasure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
TTTG (Salil's): Ripe, dark fruit with a mild underlying herbal characteristic. For all of its ripeness, the fruit is very focused and possesses concentrated acidity. Finishes very lengthy with persistent tannins. With air the fruit was dialed back a bit and revealed a well-balanced wine, but this is still young and brooding. Very Good – Hold
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
For lovers of CF, this is the s**t! Admittedly, at this early stage, it's a particularily cumbersome wine to drink: score is high already today, but drinkability is rather low.
Decanted over many hours. Was both aggro and neggo from the pop.
Dark red. Nose of CF vegetabilia as in star fruit and wet bricks. This one is rich with tones of warm climate. I also pick up spearmint (as in kissing someone who just brushed their teeth), cacao powder, Heliotrope, Lavandula and more in this rich, layered and absolutely astonishing nose. Palate is integrated, mellow and restrained with M++ tannins and M+ acids. The red fruit is mature, supple and crazily attractive. There is a small note of sumi-ink and a fine kiss of Brett in the end. But there is an intensity-issue with the acids that still needs several years for mending.
This wine is right up my alley, even if it's far too young. Need to get more for the long haul.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted blind. Dark core to a slim watery rim. Fragrant, henna, damson, green pepper nose. The palate is intense black fruit, medium tannins and with a lovely olive edge on the long finish. Classy wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured. Dark ruby, watery rim. Bold aromatcis. Dark, tarry, barnyard, earthy, green leaf. The palate has concentrated dark berry fruit, lots of tannins still showing but not tough, giving an earthy astringency which leaves you with a long savoury finish. This is a good wine now but will be better with a few more years on ageing so certainly a 90+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still very closed, completely shut down. Decanted for 4+ hours and no real improvement. Nice, earthy aroma on the nose, but built for the long-haul. There was a tad of fruit when slightly chilled, but mainly the green/sour notes prevailed. Was better with food, but still extremely tightly-wound, especially on the tail. Would consider trying again after 2020.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
13.5% alc...spicy, floral, jumping from the glass, quite earthy to start, actually not just quite earthy, but overtly, verging on brett type notes but with about an hour in the decanter this screams soil & red fruit, wet moss...medium bodied, satiny not silky - or silky without the weight, balanced, medium-fine tannins - feels like Chinon from years back, when heat wasn't influencing every single vintage making Chinon & Beaujolais, etc seem like big ripe new world monsters. There's a subtlety to this wine that is extremely sexy. I've missed you Joguet!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Young Loire Tasting (K&L Wines, San Francisco): Lighter color. High toned red fruit and more dill than in the Noblaie. Lovely weight and ripeness, then a taut, young, olive-laced finish. Very good.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bigger still than the P. Roches, highly complex, though certainly some of that complexity is from the wood. Some more red fruits added to the black, slightly lifted and spicy, plum and red currant, cool, weirdly reminding me of mature armagnac in a way. One for the cellar, though it's delicious now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark, almost purple in color. Ripe raspberry and graphite with secondary hints of plum and blue fruits on the nose. Mouth is light and almost fluffy with big, yet soft tannic grip on the back. Palate is beautifully focused with great sharp notes of raspberry, graphite, black pepper and bell pepper.
Drinking well, but age will loosen the grip a bit and allow the fruit to back off and really let this shine. I don't have enough knowledge to accurately proclaim the lifespan of this but, judging by the pedigree, I would guess at least 10 years if not 15. This is big, and while the tannins are soft, they are present in abundance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wonderful wine with an elegant nose of forest fruit (in particular blackcurrant, blueberries and raspberries), minerality and tobacco. After a few hours some herbal notes and grass came through. There is also a nice floral component. The palate is dry and intense with ripe fruit, the tannins are there but smooth. Great length. This is a delicious wine already, but will probably be even better with a few years cellaring.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The nose speaks of classic Cab Franc if a bit more in the way of fruit aromas over the tobacco and peppers. The palate seems somewhat muddled and struggling to pull together. There is riper fruit going on here though it only comes off very ripe for Chinon. Stong tannin but very fine. Somewhat tart acidity and a bit muddled at the finish as mentioned. There is some minerally soil notes among the polished fruit. The fruit shows more on the second night as does the polish. I'm not convinced this is one of the better wines from this house for 09. It will need a few years but I don't see the depth of fruit to really develop a lot.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
3/11/2024 - Nojomoschwa Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was a great bottle of Cabernet Franc! In a a good spot now, but plenty longer to go for sure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/27/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine: 93 Points
Like last year's bottle, this was absolutely delicious. No change from what I noted then. The 2026 CT drink-by limit is much too early.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/1/2022 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Wow is this good. It’s got a touch of supplemental richness from a riper year, but just enough to ensure it’s properly medium-bodied, and not in any way overripe. A little hit of damp earth opens it up, and then it’s all red fruit and green tobacco. Pretty much archetypal Cabernet Franc. Reminds me a bit of Sociando Mallet, and that’s a good thing. Still has a decent tannic bite on the finish, but there’s more than enough depth to counterbalance it, or if you have more (sadly I do not) to let it age for a while longer. I expected this wine to be good, but not this good. Really fine showing.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/24/2022 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine: 93 Points
Mouth-watering aromas of sweet raspberry and violets, with hints of peonies too - delightful. On the palate, a bright attack of raspberry, then a series of waves of flavours, ranging from violet, to plum, to blueberry, to blackcurrant, then back to raspberry, and so forth. Quite ripe, quite rich, but not at all syrupy, this has a strong sense of place with that Chinon chalkiness, a slight hint of green to the finish.
The fruit is ripe but subtle, oozing class and elegance.
Much better than a few years ago, this is now absolutely delicious, but it is only at the start of its plateau, so no hurry.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
3/31/2019 - Julian Marshall wrote: 88 Points
The colour was very dark and intense. The nose, like the taste, was very closed at first, taking a good two hours in the decanter to open up, before revealing aromas of forest fruits, yeast and eucalyptus, with spices and charcoal. The attack is powerful, silky and ripe, but the actual flavours are quite muted at first; the middle section is full-bodiedn but a little chalky, with a strong sense of bell pepper, before a rich seam of fruit, where at last the flavours become more distinct: dark cherry, blackberry and finally some blackcurrant. The finish is odd - very disjointed: at the back of the palate, a broad, sweeping wave of indistinct fruit with chalky greenness, which slips down the throat, whilst at the front a strong taste of sweet blackberry which tingles the tongue, remaining long after the wine has gone. Weird.
Completely different to the other Chinons I've tasted recently, this was bigger and broader in scope. The body and silkiness are very impressive - this is clearly high-class wine, but which succeeds in tasting both ripe and unripe. The ripe fruit tastes a little extracted and the green cloak is almost caricatural - perfect for convincing doubting newcomers that the rumours were correct and that Chinons are not for them.
Tasting it, I was reminded of the comment by Erwan Faiveley, quoted in Stephen Tanzer's excellent article last week - “the only Burgundy wine that a winemaker in Bordeaux can understand.” This is a Chinon that Bordeaux lovers would understand, but which not all would like. It has the power and body of Bordeaux, unlike the Clos Guillot I tried last week, but without the slightly sweet flavours of modern Bordeaux. There's something Pauillacais about it, but somehow unfulfilled. It reminded me of the Duhart 2008 I tasted last year - good, but with a nagging greenness. Much like Sociando-Mallet can taste, so if you like that, this is for you.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/15/2017 - jlhkiss wrote: 88 Points
Still completely shut down. No change from 3.5 years ago. Technical score: 89. Enjoyment score: 87.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/30/2017 - Saint Stephen wrote: 89 Points
Casket bearing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/22/2016 - ccn wrote: 89 Points
Really needs another 5 years - good structure but relatively closed.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/7/2015 - heythatslife wrote: 90 Points
Full of fresh, crunchy berries, a little grass sap, pepper and earth. The tannins seem quite soft - if they've been this way or are beginning to melt, I can't tell. For me, this comes across as an accessible and bright expression of Loire cabernet franc. Elegant but fun too.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/30/2015 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 88 Points
Very brief notes from TTTG (blind) (Vernon, CT): Very ripe fruit with some herbal notes. Somewhat hot. Seems much denser and more viscous than its medium weight. Good acidity. Hold. Please hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/30/2015 - salil wrote: 88 Points
Third Thursday tasting group (Vernon, CT): This is a beast. Incredibly dense and concentrated with lots of ripe dark berried fruit tinged with faint herbal and earthy notes. With time the fruit takes a step back and it becomes more savoury, but the sheer density of the fruit and the amount of tannin makes this pretty challenging to drink now, and it's more about potential than pleasure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/30/2015 - WMWG Likes this wine: 89 Points
TTTG (Salil's): Ripe, dark fruit with a mild underlying herbal characteristic. For all of its ripeness, the fruit is very focused and possesses concentrated acidity. Finishes very lengthy with persistent tannins. With air the fruit was dialed back a bit and revealed a well-balanced wine, but this is still young and brooding.
Very Good – Hold
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/3/2015 - StefanAkiko Likes this wine: 94 Points
For lovers of CF, this is the s**t! Admittedly, at this early stage, it's a particularily cumbersome wine to drink: score is high already today, but drinkability is rather low.
Decanted over many hours. Was both aggro and neggo from the pop.
Dark red.
Nose of CF vegetabilia as in star fruit and wet bricks. This one is rich with tones of warm climate. I also pick up spearmint (as in kissing someone who just brushed their teeth), cacao powder, Heliotrope, Lavandula and more in this rich, layered and absolutely astonishing nose.
Palate is integrated, mellow and restrained with M++ tannins and M+ acids. The red fruit is mature, supple and crazily attractive. There is a small note of sumi-ink and a fine kiss of Brett in the end. But there is an intensity-issue with the acids that still needs several years for mending.
This wine is right up my alley, even if it's far too young. Need to get more for the long haul.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/7/2015 - bacchus of knockholt Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tasted blind. Dark core to a slim watery rim. Fragrant, henna, damson, green pepper nose. The palate is intense black fruit, medium tannins and with a lovely olive edge on the long finish. Classy wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/27/2015 - bacchus of knockholt Likes this wine: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Dark ruby, watery rim. Bold aromatcis. Dark, tarry, barnyard, earthy, green leaf. The palate has concentrated dark berry fruit, lots of tannins still showing but not tough, giving an earthy astringency which leaves you with a long savoury finish. This is a good wine now but will be better with a few more years on ageing so certainly a 90+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/12/2013 - The_Grey_Fox wrote: 88 Points
Very tight and a bit of a mess.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/13/2013 - diggydan wrote: 90 Points
A very fruit-forward Chinon, with ripe black fruit, good heft, and a rustic, tannic finish. $55 off the list at Table.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/3/2013 - jlhkiss Likes this wine: 88 Points
Still very closed, completely shut down. Decanted for 4+ hours and no real improvement. Nice, earthy aroma on the nose, but built for the long-haul. There was a tad of fruit when slightly chilled, but mainly the green/sour notes prevailed. Was better with food, but still extremely tightly-wound, especially on the tail. Would consider trying again after 2020.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/1/2013 - JPH104 Does not like this wine:
This wine was a mess. Thin and disjointed. Big rough tannins on the back end. Nose gave very little. Needs a long, long time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/1/2013 - CO CHRIS wrote:
13.5% alc...spicy, floral, jumping from the glass, quite earthy to start, actually not just quite earthy, but overtly, verging on brett type notes but with about an hour in the decanter this screams soil & red fruit, wet moss...medium bodied, satiny not silky - or silky without the weight, balanced, medium-fine tannins - feels like Chinon from years back, when heat wasn't influencing every single vintage making Chinon & Beaujolais, etc seem like big ripe new world monsters. There's a subtlety to this wine that is extremely sexy. I've missed you Joguet!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/24/2012 - drwine2001 wrote:
Young Loire Tasting (K&L Wines, San Francisco): Lighter color. High toned red fruit and more dill than in the Noblaie. Lovely weight and ripeness, then a taut, young, olive-laced finish. Very good.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/22/2012 - tendring Likes this wine: 91 Points
Soft, delicate, elegant bouquet.
Still quite tannic but the structure is wonderful.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/20/2012 - ihavezinned wrote: 91 Points
nose: a blueberry explosion with milk chocolate and tobacco - very pretty
palate: blueberry, woodiness, wet forest floor
beautiful mouth feel
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/28/2012 - yofog wrote: 93 Points
Bigger still than the P. Roches, highly complex, though certainly some of that complexity is from the wood. Some more red fruits added to the black, slightly lifted and spicy, plum and red currant, cool, weirdly reminding me of mature armagnac in a way. One for the cellar, though it's delicious now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/11/2012 - Socrates wrote:
Dark, almost purple in color. Ripe raspberry and graphite with secondary hints of plum and blue fruits on the nose. Mouth is light and almost fluffy with big, yet soft tannic grip on the back. Palate is beautifully focused with great sharp notes of raspberry, graphite, black pepper and bell pepper.
Drinking well, but age will loosen the grip a bit and allow the fruit to back off and really let this shine. I don't have enough knowledge to accurately proclaim the lifespan of this but, judging by the pedigree, I would guess at least 10 years if not 15. This is big, and while the tannins are soft, they are present in abundance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/8/2012 - psykho Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wonderful wine with an elegant nose of forest fruit (in particular blackcurrant, blueberries and raspberries), minerality and tobacco. After a few hours some herbal notes and grass came through. There is also a nice floral component. The palate is dry and intense with ripe fruit, the tannins are there but smooth. Great length. This is a delicious wine already, but will probably be even better with a few years cellaring.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/18/2012 - WetRock wrote:
The nose speaks of classic Cab Franc if a bit more in the way of fruit aromas over the tobacco and peppers. The palate seems somewhat muddled and struggling to pull together. There is riper fruit going on here though it only comes off very ripe for Chinon. Stong tannin but very fine. Somewhat tart acidity and a bit muddled at the finish as mentioned. There is some minerally soil notes among the polished fruit. The fruit shows more on the second night as does the polish. I'm not convinced this is one of the better wines from this house for 09. It will need a few years but I don't see the depth of fruit to really develop a lot.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment