Les Picasses Chinon Cabernet Franc

Broke out one of my cellared Raffaults for my homeboy who graced me with a home cooked Tuscan styled flank steak w rosemary & arugula, as well as Israeli cous cous w chickpeas, charred tomatoes, feta, & herbs. Light Cadmium red hued & strong color though ( good cork- not a guarantee w Raffault!); dense Hibiscus, fresh raspberry & some bramble on nose; on palate very clean & smooth mouthfeel, with the initial flavors repeated but a deeper blend of red fruits & a stronger presence of under brush. Super fresh & integrated. Elegant, & the Burgundy echo was hard to ignore. Not Uber complex but not monolithic either, which this line of Raffault can be in its youth ( or as it ages). Very impressive, & accessible now. Curious how my ‘02 & 07s will fare…

Cherry tobacco cedar bacon smoke baking spice

Worth a check in at 10 years. Always an outstanding nose. Needed hours of air and still pretty shy, fruit in particular is closed. Paired with NY strip tonight. Have half a case left of this vintage and will check in again in a couple years.

Bright ruby with a garnet rim of medium minus concentration. Tobacco, pencil shavings, cigar, cedarwood, licorice, fresh pomegranate, raspberry, tart red cherry, stony minerality. Lightly spiced. Elevated acidity, medium soft tannins, medium alcohol. Medium body.

More powerful and full-bodied wine from Le Picasses than 2015. A stunner. Fresh and complex, but a more muscular side of Chinon. Dark ruby in color. Expressive nose full of blackberry, black olive, spice and pepper. On the palate, rich, dark, with more olive and some tobacco on the finish. Amazing value. (Jason Wilson, Vinous, July 2020)

Vivid. All sorts of little purple flowers, the type that bloom early in the spring. Also, some just-ripe cherry, leaf litter, a little leather and pencil shavings. But so so floral. All the hallmarks of this bottling in astonishing balance here. Good acid, supple texture with just the silkiest of tannins. Wowing me already at the young age of 6 (for this wine), I think in time it will be a classic.

This is not a showy wine and won’t please everyone’s taste. But the class and finesse here speak volumes.

This was a COVID treat given Ive cellared this wine for several years, always buy em young when they are cheap- a great deal if you can tolerate the long aging they can bear . Have several 07’s of our daughters birth year. A humble wine right now (always?), perhaps it is in its “closed” phase. Cranberries & wood shavings nose. Fine red berries, a lovely round palate, that slight pencil lead Chinon thing. A small wine-and that’s meant as a compliment

Prior notes always apply. That texture tho...

If you need a change of pace from primary fruit wines, Olga💥 smacks you in the nose w/ bell pepper, basil, and just ripe cherries. So silky too.

Capsicum, peppercorns, and cedar. Silky red fruits. A blind taster’s dream Chinon. Always good, but a stunning value in great vintages. Happy to have half a case of this.