Traditional descriptors of Chinon do not typically contain words like “opulent” or “polished.” Chinon 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 overlook polished gems like “Les Pensées de Pallus.” This benchmark old-vine cuvée not only has a kinship to top-tier red Burgundy—the perfume, the purity, the energy—but there’s also a stylistic nod to some of the more elegant Cabernet Franc-based reds of Bordeaux’s Right Bank. 

Before his “return” to Chinon, and Cabernet Franc, in 2003, Bertrand Sourdais picked up valuable winemaking insight in some far-flung locales—especially Spain, where he made his name in Ribera del Duero at Dominio de Atauta. He also did stints with Spanish maestro Alvaro Palacios and at Château Mouton-Rothschild before turning his attention to old-vine Cabernet Franc from his family’s heirloom vineyards in Chinon. Domaine de Pallus is based in Cravant-les-Coteaux, a few miles east of Chinon along the Vienne River (a Loire tributary). This village is home to many of the biggest names in the Chinon AOC, and its vineyards are rooted in the three classic soil types of the region: alluvial gravel closest to the riverbank(s); sandy clay with flint higher up; and limestone and clay at the highest elevations. Grapes for “Pensées” are sourced from mid-slope sites rich in sandy clay over limestone.

“Les Pensées de Pallus” is the estate’s flagship, crafted from vineyards averaging 45 years of age and employing a maceration on skins of 30+ days during fermentation (long by Loire Valley standards). The wine is aged for 12 months in used Burgundy barrels, followed by roughly six months in concrete tanks (the latter lending a pleasing roundness to the texture). Notes of red and black currant, black cherry, tobacco, freshly turned earth, forest floor, and violets misted with morning dew carry over to the juicy, medium-plus-bodied palate. You won’t find any intense bell pepper notes here, just a gentle kiss of green peppercorn and fresh herbs complementing the saturated dark fruit. A plate of cheese and charcuterie would be a great complement, but it would also work with a more elevated dish like braised lamb shanks or roasted lamb chops with herbs and garlic.