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This Week's Must-Try Wines from Vinous

Welcome to this week's Vinous Top Ten! Each week we compile a list of top ten wines from the Vinous database that you need to add to your wine wish list. With all the various regions, producers, and grapes, no week will be the same! All of the wines listed in this feature are available for purchase on Banquet . This week's must-try wines are from Jason Wilson’s article Big Love for Loire . Enjoy an excerpt from his article and his notes for this week's top ten below! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “The Loire wine scene is full of youthful energy. It’s no surprise that the region has also become an epicenter of the organic, biodynamic and natural winemaking that appeals to a younger generation. The first part of my coverage looks at Cabernet Franc with a focus mostly on Chinon, Bourgueil and Saumur-Champigny, as well as others from Anjou and Touraine.” --Jason Wilson, Big Love for Loire, July 2020 1. Bernard Baudry 2017 Clos Guillot 2. Bernard Baudry 2018 Chinon Les Granges 3. Bernard Baudry 2016 Chinon Lacroix Boissée 4. Catherine et Pierre Breton 1996 Bourgueil Les Perrières 5. Clos Rougeard 2014 Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux 6. Clos Rougeard 2014 Saumur-Champigny Le Clos 7. Domaine du Bel Air 2015 Bourgueil Clos Nouveau 8. Domaine du Bel Air 2018 Bourgueil Jour de Soif 9. Olga Raffault 2018 Chinon Les Barnabés 10. Olga Raffault 2014 Chinon Le Picasses

Olga Raffault

Les Picasses Chinon Cabernet Franc 2014

Delectable Wine
9.4

More powerful and full-bodied wine from Le Picasses than 2015. A stunner. Fresh and complex, but a more muscular side of Chinon. Dark ruby in color. Expressive nose full of blackberry, black olive, spice and pepper. On the palate, rich, dark, with more olive and some tobacco on the finish. Amazing value. (Jason Wilson, Vinous, July 2020)
 — 4 years ago

Josh liked this

Clos Rougeard

Les Poyeux Saumur Champigny Cabernet Franc 2014

Delectable Wine
9.5

Fresh, racy, nuanced, and striking. Ripe aromas and flavors of blackberry, plum, olive and spice throughout, with very fine, whispery tannins, and so much finesse. It’s incredibly drinkable right now and has decades before it. One of my favorite wines of the tasting. (Jason Wilson, Vinous, July 2020)
 — 4 years ago

Josh liked this

Domaine Bernard Baudry

La Croix Boissée Chinon Cabernet Franc 2016

Delectable Wine
9.3

Grown on very chalky soils, and aged 24 months in 1- to 3-year-old barrels. Vivid ruby. Expressive, even flamboyant, nose of ripe cherry and berry, kirsch and cassis, and even a touch of chocolate. Open and rather hedonistic for Cabernet Franc, with lots of red and black fruit, and it wows the palate with freshness and swirling acidity. But it’s balanced by dancing notes of chalk, talc and graphite, and great finesse on the finish. (Jason Wilson, Vinous, July 2020)
 — 4 years ago

Josh liked this

Domaine Bernard Baudry

Le Clos Guillot Chinon Cabernet Franc 2017

Delectable Wine
9.3

From one of Baudry’s top limestone sites. Aged 12 months in 2- to 5-year-old barrels, then rests for nine months in cement tanks. Still young and rambunctious, very juicy and full of energy, very like Pinot-like. It’s one of the fruitier Baudry expressions, with lots of black and sour cherry, some blackberry and tomato, and light stoniness on the finish. Give this a year or two and it will pay back your patience. (Jason Wilson, Vinous, July 2020)
 — 4 years ago

Josh and Donny liked this

Olga Raffault

Les Barnabés Chinon Cabernet Franc 2018

Delectable Wine
9.1

Nose full of purple flowers and licorice. Cool black fruit, lots of black pepper and graphite throughout. Good structure and balance, streaky tannins, and an intensity on the finish. Aged only in stainless steel. (Jason Wilson, Vinous, July 2020)
 — 4 years ago

Josh liked this

Domaine du Bel Air

Clos Nouveau Bourgueil Cabernet Franc 2015

Delectable Wine
9.5

From one of the most prized vineyards in Bourgueil, with soil similar to Clos Rougeard's famed Le Bourg vineyard: clay over tuffeau limestone. This elegant Cabernet Franc has the bearing of a Saint-Émilion, for which it might be mistaken. Deep purple-red in color. Seductive and silky, the complex nose is full of blackberry, white pepper, leather, chocolate and wet clay. Graceful and balanced on the palate and brightly juicy, with supple tannins and a cool mineral finish that goes on and on. (Jason Wilson, Vinous, July 2020)
 — 4 years ago

Josh liked this

Domaine Bernard Baudry

Les Granges Chinon Cabernet Franc 2018

Delectable Wine
9.2

Spicy and fruity throughout, with an expressive nose full of smoked meat and grilled herbs. In the mouth, there’s solid structure and notes of blackberry, along with more savory flavors of black olive and tomato. At midpalate comes an underlying tobacco note, followed by the dry, spicy finish. Feeling of chalk and clay on the palate. This is the kind of value that Chinon should be more famous for. Aged 10 months in cement. (Jason Wilson, Vinous, July 2020)
 — 4 years ago

Josh liked this

Domaine du Bel Air

Jour de Soif Bourgueil Cabernet Franc 2018

Delectable Wine
8.8

Bright and lively, offering aromas of pepper and smoke and flavors of fresh cherry and red berry, with some underlying herbal notes. Enjoyable, gulpable, glou-glou. Aged 6–8 months in stainless steel and bottled unfiltered. (Jason Wilson, Vinous, July 2020)
 — 4 years ago

Josh liked this

Clos Rougeard

Le Clos Saumur-Champigny Cabernet Franc 2014

Delectable Wine
9.4

Classic and exceptional. A savory nose full of smoke, black pepper, and spice. Lively juicy and complex on the palate, with black cherry, red berries and olives, as well as licorice and green tobacco. It is long, succulent and fresh. The blend of elegance and rusticity one hopes for in Loire reds. (Jason Wilson, Vinous, July 2020)
 — 4 years ago

Josh liked this

Catherine et Pierre Breton

Les Perrières Bourgueil Cabernet Franc 1996

Delectable Wine
9.3

Excellent example of Loire Cabernet Franc’s aging potential. Nineteen ninety-six was a cold year, harvested in October (this vineyard is now harvested three weeks earlier, in September). Garnet, with aromas and flavors of leather, baked tomato and plum. Supple and elegant in the mouth, the tannins perfectly framing the fruit, along with attractive baked plum, licorice, espresso, tobacco and a long, smoky finish. Possibly pushing past its glory days, but still has some life and verve left. (Jason Wilson, Vinous, July 2020)
 — 4 years ago

Josh liked this