1990 Raffault Chinon Picasses

Grape variety: Cabernet Franc
Region: Chinon, Loire Valley, France
Food pairing: Pan-roasted Turbot with Chanterelles

Just last month, I lamented that it's so rare that I have the chance to send you an older vintage of a wine for Wine Club, as it's often only feasible for us in the retail business to obtain "current releases." So it was a very pleasant surprise when I was seeking out a great Chinon from the Loire Valley for our March Premiere selection, and one of our suppliers mentioned that she had a little bit of Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses available... from 1990.

Who is passing out all of these cellar keys lately? And where can I get one?! Knowing that 1990 was a banner vintage for the Loire Valley, and that if anyone made good Chinon in any year it was Olga Raffault, we jumped at the opportunity. Domaine Olga Raffault is located on 25 hectares of vineyard land in Savigny-en-Veron, Loire Valley. All of their vineyard plots are acclaimed for producing terrific Cabernet Franc and white Chinon, but it's the Les Picasses vineyard with its limestone soils that carries, perhaps, the most coveted terroir.

This wine will need to be approached with the understanding that 18 year-old Chinon Cabernet Franc is a far cry from this year's release of, say, jammy California Cabernet or even five-year-old Bordeaux, for that matter. Rather than expecting a concentrated core of ripe fruit that grabs you until the tannins arrive, expect some very interesting and subtle complexities: a meaty, mineral-laden nose, notes of leather and black olive, some chalky mineral texture, and a finish of subtle sweet red fruit and white pepper. It's a wine to open in a pensive and patient mood. Give it a taste when you first open the bottle, admire what you find, then let it sit for a short time and come back again. Your mother said not to play with your food; she said absolutely nothing about your wine.

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