TN: 2008 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses (France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon)

• 2008 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon (12/10/2018)
  Textbook Cabernet Franc displaying clean red fruit, green bell pepper and tobacco. Slightly lean with a nice acidic lift. Tannins are nicely integrated, but overall the wine seems quite youthful. Still, no crime to open now. (91 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

I enjoyed this wine last night with smoked/seared ribeyes. Love the lower abv and at roughly $20/bottle, one of the world’s great wine values.

Nice note, Corey. The 2008 vintage in Loire CF was a bit overlooked, I’m not sure I even bought Raffault in that vintage, while having lots of 07 and 09. I popped an 09 last week. Excellent, and an ager. Like you, I love the lower ABV and higher acid. Cuts through a phatty steak like a rapier, with precision.

Thanks, guys. I love this wine too, but I find the acidity to be typically too much for at least ten years. Had the 2002 recently, which is coming into its own IMHO.

One of the great red values in the world. Chambers St just had some 1990 for $75, which embarrassingly I choked on ordering (and now alas gone).

2008 Guion Prestige is also fine now.
And it is (was) only 10$

Kelly -

Chambers gets in the 89 and 90 a few times per year, just grab it immediately when you get the email. You will thank me later!

As Alfert said, the '90 has been killing the past few years once those were re-released. In the high $50s for a minute a few years back, $75 is still quite nice. You shoulda bought. That’s a great wine.
Thanks for the check-in on the '08 Corey.

I didn’t realize that - I thought it was a one-off thing. I’ve had the '89 multiple times and they have always been great. Just had an '85 a couple weeks ago that was SINGING. Couldn’t believe the aromatics.

Yes, recently reloaded on some ‘89 and ‘90 (not from Chambers), which are well worth the tariff and are both in great spots with life left. These have been released a few times in the past two years. Easy call to reload each time they reappear.

C&P Breton also recently released some library stock from ‘80s and early 90s. The ‘89 was great.

Good to know. C&P Breton was the wine that sent me down the Chinon path - love the stuff! Thanks Scott!

Raffault 89, 85 and 82 got me hooked. Spent 4 days in Loire during my 1996 honeymoon, then went to Bordeaux. The Chinon were more memorable. Well, except for the Mouton tour, which was back in the day when they poured you 1/2 glass or more of Mouton, Clerx Milon and d’Armailhac at the end of the tour!! Or the cute tour guide had the hots for me. . . .

Oooh, sounds great. Where did you get this?

Library releases r golden…'the 77 is fire!
These age tremendously

Some gimp left it at my house. But I fed him brisket, so we’ll call it a draw.

(Feel better)

Marc I have an 89 and 90 left, let’s pop before Xmas. Perhaps next week?

Salil?

Aren’t we at Kurt’s next week?

I wanna drink an '85, got any?

Discovered Guion via their 2015 and was wondering if iy was a one off, and never even bothered to ask myself about ageability — sounds like I need to regard this more seriously!

Thanks for this. Great stuff, have had the 97 and 2002 in the last couple of years — stunning — This stuff is cheaper than soda!

Alfert has promised me they are very long lived
(there is a thread with TN of some from the 90´s)