2023 Domaine Olga Raffault Chinon La Fraich [JG90]

Producer: Olga Raffault  
Region: Chinon, Touraine, Loire, France  
Varietal: Cabernet Franc  
Year: 2023 

John Gilman, 90 Points 

"The Chinon “la Fraîch” bottling from Sylvie Raffault and her husband, Éric de la Vigerie is made for early drinking. It is made from the younger vines near the winery, planted on alluvial soils down by the Vienne River. The grapes are destemmed, but not crushed, and the wine is fermented with indigenous yeasts and raised in stainless steel tanks for six months. The 2023 “la Fraîch” comes in at a svelte 12.2 percent octane and delivers a lovely bouquet of dark berries, cassis, tree bark, sandy soil tones, tobacco leaf and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, tangy and complex, with a good core of fruit, fine soil undertow, modest tannins and lovely length and grip on the well balanced finish. This is a very good bottle of Chinon that is certainly approachable out of the blocks, but to my palate, would benefit from a short sojourn in the cellar to further soften up its underlying tannins. Good juice. 2025-2040+." 

Winemaker Notes: 

"The fruit comes from very young vines in sandy, flat parcels near the winery not far from the the Vienne River. The farming is certified-organic and the harvest is manual. The berries are destemmed but not crushed and fermented with native yeasts in tank with a maceration of about 15 days. The wine is aged in stainless steel tanks for about 6 months before bottling. This vin de soif has a pretty and playful label that complements its style perfectly." 

Alcohol: 12.2% 

*Price and availability in store may vary. Vintage date may differ from pictured.