‘Les Picasses’ lies along a riverbank on a fairly steep slope that is primarily alluvial clay overlaying chalk and limestone. The vines are over 50 years old and the site is known to produce wines with fabulous purity and minerality. As such, the Olga Raffault ‘Les Picasses’ Chinon 1989 has had time to mellow, and the aromas are quite lovely—lavender, game, worn leather, a touch of barnyard, and cellar dust. There is a throaty, sensual wildness to this wine, punctuated by a vein of bright acidity and minerals. It has just about everything I love in Loire Valley Cab Franc.
9.2 Points
