Consider me impressed, I ordered more after popping this bottle. This could be the most approachable Raffault of quality since the 2007 vintage, and is still classic in rendition. Archetype nose of wild red fruits, green tobacco leaf and dry earth. A tinge of bell pepper. Absolutely perfect structure for a Chinon, crisp acid but juicy red fruits, some darks under the surface. A little tartness for the fruits, lip-smacking. Tannins close in on the back-end but semi-sweet, perhaps just a little dryness.
Back to the 2007 comparison, I believe this wine can mature and evolve over a span of years but it’s quite delicious right now.
Julian, I have not tried that cuvee. I’m not sure where that falls in the winery lineup, but always hard to pass on the flagship cuvee when it’s so darn cheap!
Fantastic, thanks for taking one for the team. I was going to sit on mine for a bit, but think I am going to pop one in the next few days to see if I should double down and order more. Had the 2011 a few weeks back and think it is fantastic despite the vintage. One of the best values in the wine world, IMHO.
I’ve got a couple of 2012s - I’ll try one soon and report back. It’s a new cuvée, from their oldest vines, which unlike Les Picasses, gets 24 months in oak barrels. It’s fractionally more expensive (18€ as opposed to 14€).
I’ve had two bottles of the 2010 La Singuliere and really enjoyed it. For me, drank better young than the LP. Would assume it would age just as well, and have a few more bottles that will rest for many years, but who knows.
I haven’t had this, but 2014 should be good but very, very young still. 2012 Loire was poor and 2013 not exactly great, if I recall correctly, but I guess good producers will make something out of most vantages. Still, poor in the Loire can be poor indeed. And I say that as someone who really likes Loire Cabernet franc.
Ahhhh, yes … I remember that now. A quick look at CT reminded me I opened another '12 back in October and found it better than my previous bottle – it was good enough that I wasn’t upset with how much I paid. Of course, with Les Picasses the bar to clear isn’t very high at $25. Looks like I have some '14 but haven’t yet had one; sounds like right now is an enjoyable early look.
The only quality Chinon I’ve had from 2012 was from Maison Jourdan, which was very good, so I’m keeping an open mind - anyway, I’ll open a Singulière tomorrow and report back.
Tasted with a Clos Guillot 08, this was completely different. Much more intense on the nose, with strong, sweet notes of cassis and blackberry, even a touch of candy. This has 24 months in small oak barrels, whereas the Clos Guillot has 16, but there was no trace of oak on the nose and none on the palate. Quite rich and tight at first in the mouth, it needed a good three hours in the decanter, then producing an intense attack of blackberry and blueberry, with a middle section leaning towards dark cherry and a fairly long finish, less persistent than the Baudry. 91 pts for now, but I can see this earning one or two more in another five years.
La Singulière cost me 17€, Les Picasses (which is not aged in oak barrels), costs 14€. It would be interesting to try them together, but for only a few euros more, I was impressed. Slightly more modern-tasting, but not excessively so - the usual 12.5°.
2014 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses- France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon (3/28/2019)
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over a couple hours –
NOSE: smoky; ripe red apple.
BODY: medium-light bodied.
TASTE: red-fruited, with light notes of bell pepper and stony mineral; bell pepper presents mostly on the finish; lightly tannic; seems to be a good vintage for this bottling — a bottling that I’m now figuring out is very vintage-dependent.