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Philippe Alliet, Chinon “Vieilles Vignes”

Loire Valley, France 2017 (750mL)
$30.00
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Philippe Alliet, Chinon “Vieilles Vignes”

Traditional descriptors of the wines of Chinon, in France’s Loire Valley, did not typically contain words like “opulent” or “polished.” Chinon, along with its lesser-known neighbor, Bourgueil, is mostly known for cool-climate expressions of Cabernet Franc—crunchy, sometimes leafy-green reds that are bistro staples if not exactly cellar material.


But to stereotype Chinon thusly is to ignore the ethereal, eminently age-worthy Chinons of producers such as Olga Raffault or Couly-Dutheil (to name just two), or the even “cultier” Cab Francs of Guiberteau and Clos Rougeard, in nearby Saumur. What all these wines share is a certain kinship with top-tier red Burgundy—the perfumes, the purity, the energy—but the Chinons of Philippe Alliet, particularly today’s “Vieilles Vignes” bottling, are something else. This 2015 is Chinon taken in another direction: namely, toward Bordeaux’s Right Bank. This is not to say that it tastes like Bordeaux, but that it channels Bordeaux in both scale and polish. Yes, polish. There’s no green and no sharp edges, but instead deep concentration and velvety texture from old vines rooted in gravel. Most of the above-mentioned wines succeed by singing a crisp, clear soprano, and we love them for it; Alliet Chinon is a full-throated tenor, and we love that, too. Today’s “Vieilles Vignes” is a reference-point wine in the appellation, from a reference-point vintage. It is unquestionably a worthy choice for your cellar.


Most of the Alliet vineyards, now totaling about 18 organically farmed hectares in the village of Cravant-les-Coteaux, are in alluvial (i.e. gravelly) flatlands close to the Vienne River (which feeds into the Loire), but they’ve added sites up on the clay/limestone hillsides as well. Most of their plantings are of Cabernet Franc, and yields are kept fanatically low; Alliet is a regular visitor to Bordeaux and takes inspiration from its wines in crafting his own. 




Alliet and his wife, Claude, have been collecting accolades in Chinon since 1983, when they took over the domaine from Philippe’s father. More recently, their son, Pierre, has joined the team, and they have continued to grow their reputation as meticulous farmers/vintners. The vineyards supplying fruit for this Vieilles Vignes 2015 are, as the name would suggest, old—about 60 years—and the hand-harvested grapes are completely de-stemmed (a contributor to the wine’s plush texture) before fermentation in cement vats. Aging for the Vieilles Vignes is done in used barriques.




In the glass the 2015 is a dense, opaque ruby with purple/black reflections. Rich and heady aromas of purple flowers complement a ripe mix of black and red fruits (black currant, mulberry, huckleberry). Always a generous wine, it is especially so in the celebrated 2015 vintage—medium-plus body with polished, fine-grained tannins. There’s that word again, polished: This isn’t a big, brawny red; it is rich, but also quite elegant and perfectly fresh. As with the 2014, which we offered about a year ago, Alliet’s take on Cabernet Franc tends to showcase more cigar-wrapper and umami-rich flavors as opposed to bell pepper/mint. There’s a beautiful push-pull of sweet and savory in this wine, with saturated fruit flavors vying for attention with a dark, loamy soil character. It definitely has the potential to age decades if kept well and I highly advise you to cellar as many bottles as possible to drink in 5-10+ years. It is, however, tantalizing to drink now after about 30 minutes in a decanter, served at 60-65 degrees in large Bordeaux stems. I am re-sharing the recipe suggestion we gave for the 2014 Vieilles Vignes, as I don’t think we could improve on the pairing. This is a really serious Loire Valley wine that will forever change your perception of what’s possible in Chinon.
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Country
France
Region
Loire Valley
Sub-Region
FranceChinon
Soil
Alluvial Gravel
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Cabernet Franc
Alcohol
13.5
OAK
Used Barriques
TEMP.
60-65
Glassware
Large Bordeaux Stems
Drinking
Now-2030
Decanting
30 Minutes
Pairing
Rosemary Lamb Stew

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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