Though Olga Raffault passed away a few years ago, her granddaughter Sylvie is carrying on the family’s impressive winemaking legacy. Sylvie stays faithful to the traditional style and classic approach that has historically drawn collectors and top sommeliers to the family’s wines. The domaine’s vines are farmed with no herbicides or pesticides. Clusters are hand picked and fermented in whole clusters without destemming. The wine is then transferred to large neutral barrels for extended aging before bottling. The Raffault family bottles deep, savory, perfumed wines. Today’s bottling comes from of Chinon’s top crus, Les Picasses in the subdistrict of Savigny-en-Véron. With the pedigree and consistency of the estate going back many decades, it is no surprise that in Paris, London, and almost every metropolitan wine mecca, Raffault is a recognized as a top producer of Chinon.

The 2001 we are offering today is perfectly mature and delicious. It offers a valuable learning experience for all drinkers, and is a convincing testament to the value of cellaring wine—while this bottle was tight and ungiving upon release, it has blossomed into a deliciously savory and complex treasure. On the palate, it is juicy and medium bodied, with an impressive energy and lift that is tied together perfectly with crunchy tannins. Aromas of red currants, graphite, gunpowder and white pepper explode from the glass leaving no doubt that the wine is approaching its pinnacle for drinking. I recommend opening decanting first to avoid sediment, and then serving a large Bordeaux stem. This is a wonderful wine to pour alongside a simple roast with root vegetables. Still, it is so impressive and complete on its own that I certainly wouldn’t fault anyone for enjoying it as I did recently—slowly and by itself with a simple cheese plate. This wine is reaching its peak now, but will stay in a great place for the next decade or more if kept well. For example; the 1989, 1990 and 1993 are drinking insanely well at the moment, so do not hesitate to age this further as it will deliver many years from now.