1989 Raffault Les Picasses - A Great Mature Chinon!
3/7/2008 -
None other than the brilliant 1989 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses. The 1989 vintage in Touraine and particularly in Chinon is classic with high acidity and excellent structures for long aging. Chinon growers consider 1989 to be the best vintage after the legendary 1947. If you have a taste of the 1989 Olga Raffault Les Picasses you will see why it is considered one of the great wines made in Chinon over the last 20 years.
Olga is pretty much retired from the estate but her granddaughter Sylvie, and her husband Eric de la Vigerie, are now capably in charge. (The 1989 was made by Olga's son Jean who took over from the wonderful Ernest Zenninger, a German prisoner-of-war who became wine-maker at the domaine on the death of Olga's husband Pierre in 1947.) The Les Picasses vineyard has 50 year old vines and is on a slope with alluvial clay and under that is chalky limestone. The winemaking does not get more traditional than it does at Olga Raffault. Handpicked grapes are moved to stainless steel vats where fermentation takes place. The wines are them moved into large chestnut oak foudres which is traditional for the region. It averages two to three years in this chestnut oak. The wine is released four years after the vintage. For example the 2002 is the current vintage available in the market right now.
The wine has a traditionally light color but at this stage it has a dynamite nose of herbs, cassis, earth, minerals, barnyard and all types of flowers. I really think the proper glass to appreciate all the aromatic nuance is a Burgundy glass as that will give you the full spectrum going on here. The palate is still taut, youthful and structured with lovely ripe and beautifully detailed fruit but in no way inaccessible. The tannins are ripe and sweet and the wine has very lively acidity. A classic middle-aged example of traditionally vinified Chinon. This still has ages to go but is there a better deal out here for mature French wine from a classic region? Imagine what a classed Bordeaux with somewhat of a name would cost or a Cote Rotie or Chateauneuf-du-Pape? In this market too much. So jump on this as it may be the last chance to purchase this unique and delicious wine.
