never had anything like this, but that’s ok w me–nice nose but not much on the palate, cherries and that was it. Don’t know if 78 was a great Loire year like it was in Bordeaux or Burgundy, but the wine is a bit tired.
Hey Alan how much time did this have to breath?
Not had the '78 but CT notes seem very positive. Have had '77, '85, '89 and '90 all this year, all damn fine, all library releases. Sorry can’t help regarding whether 78 was a good year in Chinon. What I will say is, a mature Raffault from a solid year is a thing of rustic beauty. Don’t give up on them just yet!
drank it over a 2 hr period from a decanter.
I’ve got a '79 library release upright now, and was planning on serving using the Audouze method. Thoughts?
my experience of one bottle provides little help–maybe this bump will let someone else chime in.
I went though 3 bottles of the wine - one each in 2014,15,16.
I thought the wines were pretty interesting for what they are, but certainly not '99 LT. 
The wines do require a bit of air and show some brett, some green, and other aspects that may turn some folks off.
With that said, the wines were very alive with resolved tannins, plenty of fruit left, and decent levels of complexity on the palate w/air. I can’t recall the details, but the aromatics are probably what I’d call slightly dirty If I were to complain, it would be that the wines did not have as much acidity as I’d like, but this is consistent with the vintage. The length of the finish was also nothing spectacular.
-mark
The wines do require a bit of air and show some brett, some green, and other aspects that may turn some folks off.
Actually I always thought the Raffault wines show less of that than some of their neighbors. I’m having one of my favorite Chinons at the moment and it’s got all that in spades but it’s nonetheless incredibly enjoyable at the same time.
Alas, I haven’t had them back to the 70s so I have no advice, but wish I did. The Loire reds seem to have their own aging curve that turns them into something really special after a few years. There’s really nothing quite like them - Cab Franc can be good in many places, but I’ve never found it quite like the Loire.