Jean-Maurice Raffault: Chinon Rouge Les Picasses AOC
Chinon Rouge Les Picasses AOC
- Varieties: 100% Cabernet Franc
- Type: Red
- Region: Chinon, Anjou-Saumur, Loire Valley, France
- Alcohol Level: 13.5%
Wine Description:
The Picasses is situated on a plateau at the summit of the hills overlooking the Vienne. The site is the highest point between the Vienne and Loire Rivers and is very well exposed. It was home to many windmills in the 19th century. Vines were already planted here in the 15th century. The name Picasses derives from a vineyard tool with two points (picks) used to work on vines planted on stony soil. The soil in the Picasses vineyard is a blend of limestone and clay with small stones, which gives the wine its intensity and structure. J-M Raffault owns 6 hectares of Les Picasses, spread over ten parcels of vines between 15-60 years of age. The Picasses is aged in 3 to 7-year-old barrels for 12 months on its fine lees and malolactic fermentation take place in cask. It is a wine of great intensity of flavor (mineral-tinged black cherry and kirsch) and can be aged for many years.
Tasting Note:
Opens with an intense but elegant and refined bouquet of dark fruits and spicy notes. Silky, round and intense on the palate, this is a full-bodied, deep and complex, very long and sustainable Picasses with stimulating vitality and salinity. The tannins are ripe and fine and intermingle well with the fine acidity of this juicy and stimulating Chinon
