France

For refined, classically-styled Loire Valley Cabernet Franc, look no further than Domaine Olga Raffault's Chinon. Established by Pierre and Olga Raffault in 1931, the domaine survived Pierre's sudden death in 1947 thanks to the work of estate employee Ernest Zeinninger, who introduced minimal intervention farming at a time when chemical use was widespread in the Loire.Taking over in 2000 without previous winemaking experience, Olga's granddaughter Sylvie and her husband Eric de la Vigerie quickly achieved organic certification and critical acclaim. With their son Arnaud, they farm 23ha of Cabernet Franc and 1ha of Chenin Blanc in Chinon's prime sites, the pinnacle of which is 'Les Picasses'.The secret to this steep, south-facing vineyard – the source of the domaine's flagship red cuvée – is a deep limestone seam, giving its wines significant capacity to age. Spending 18 months in oak and chestnut foudres before bottling, 'Les Picasses' offers notes of tobacco and truffle, alongside earthy minerality and silky-soft tannins.The domaine's lighter, entry-level cuvée 'Les Barnabés' comes from sandy-gravel vineyards in Savigny-en-Véron, while 'La Singulière' is sourced from the oldest vines in 'Les Picasses' and is aged in small 500l barrels (a proportion of which are new).

Olga Raffault

Wines

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