Olga Raffault Chinon 2020

Country: France

Region: Loire

Type: Red Wine

Grape: Cabernet Franc

2017 was the first vintage of this entry-level Chinon bottling. It is a combination of estate fruit and purchased fruit, a first for Raffault and a response to the devastating vintage conditions. The grapes come from flat, sandy, gravelly sites along the Vienne and Loire rivers, including Raffault's Barnabés vineyard. As with all Raffault wines, the fruit is farmed organically, harvested by hand and destemmed but not crushed. The whole berries are fermented with native yeasts in tank with a maceration of about two weeks. This Chinon is aged only in stainless steel tanks for about 6 months before bottling.

Aromas of black cherries, cassis, cigar wrapper, gravelly soil tones and a smoky topnote. On the palate, the wine is bright, full-bodied and complex, with a fine core of fruit, modest tannins and a long, beautifully balanced finish.