Had a nice dinner with my wife at a new restaurant in town. Great food, wine list sucked, so stuck with some simple Albarinos. Corey is texting me about his love of everything green, and his man-crush on me, so I was all excited to come home to pop something green and lean as well.
My home fridge is prolly 50% Chinon. The only bottle I had not tried is this 2007 Lenoir. I waffled on it, rarely is a Lenoir ready this young. But, every other 2007 Chinon that I have popped has been open and very enjoyable, Joguet and Rafffault two recent examples. So I went for it.
Perhaps the most mature Lenoir that I have had at such a young state. And 2007 is young for a Lenoir. But this wine is ready for business without lacking complexity. It is not a simple wine. It’s an elegant, light-to-medium body Chinon. Showing all sorts of things from dried flowers and red fruits, to barn hay and rustic wood framing, to green apple peal. Throw in some crunchy bell peppers and ash for good measure. Great acidity on this light wine, giving it greater heft than its color would suggest.
Really nice.
(91 pts.)
That sounds like a helluva wine, Bobby. I will be on the lookout.
And just to be clear, I didn’t text you to say that I liked everything green. I said that I liked everything I saw in that picture you sent wearing the green St. Patty’s day outfit with the special cutouts. I’m far more than 91 points on that.
We had a bottle of this over the winter and it was very good. My first Lenoir, I found it stylistically not dissimilar to Guion of all things! Lots of green, crisp rustic character and nice light palate weight. I really liked it. Seemed ready but with plenty to spare in a way that younger cab franc always seems to portray.
Me too!
From the distributer website:
Jerome makes wine the same way his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather did, starting in 1900. Pure, rustic, traditional Cabernet Franc that sees a very long elevage, often spending more than 3 years in a variety of very old barrels before being bottled and aged a couple more years in bottle before the release.
The domaine’s vineyards are located in Beaumont en Veron, on the same hill as the most famous vineyard of the AOC, Les Picasses, and just above their tuffeau cellar. The soil here is poor, with very little clay, only about 20 centimeters before the hard tuffeau rock (limestone). > Most of the Cabernet Franc is over 50 years old, with some vines nearing 100. Most are Franc de Pied, original French rootstock, with a variety of clones added to the mix> . The Chenin Blanc parcel is over 100 years old and exclusively Franc de Pied.
I did not know most of the CF is Franc de Pied. Goes a long way toward explaining my love of this domaine.
Re: 2007 vintage – A recent bottle of 2007 Breton Chinon St. Louans delighted - slender and delicate, an exceptionally well made wine and fine to drink now.
I’m still working through my '02s. It’s consistent in that it needs about an hour to open up so that the fruit sweetness comes through. 04s are next although I may try a bottle of '07 based on your notes. I have one '94 which will probably get opened for my and my wife’s birthdays in May. Our dates are 13 days apart (different years).
04 is very drinkable, enjoy.