Chateau de Chaintres has the terroir: classic tuffeau chalk, clay-limestone, and sandy soils right in the heart of the appellation. They have old vines (50+ years). They have a new winemaker devoted to biodynamics, who worked on many of our favorite Loire Valley wines as the right-hand man at Philippe Gilbert.Chaintres makes two cuvées, an old vine and a basic Saumur-Champigny. They're from similar terroirs, and they're both made with a light touch and minimal sulfur (only at bottling to keep the wine stable for shipping).Sure enough, the wines have a lot in common. Both are fresh, have beautiful fruit and floral notes (like crushed roses), with earthy undertones. Both have integrated tannins that don't get in the way of enjoyment of the wine.But the old vines dig really deep, giving us much more of the terroir. There’s a salty, savory edge to this wine, a hint of licorice complexity. And there’s more… of everything. More of the cassis. More of the crushed roses. More dark fruit and more earth. More nose, more density and more length.
Professional Reviews
Decanter
What importer Rosenthal Wine Merchant has to say about this wine...
The “Clos des Oratoriens” Rouge comprises a parcel of Cabernet Franc planted in 1947 in a particularly limestone-rich section of the clos. After a spontaneous fermentation in open-top wooden casks with a 10-day maceration, the wine is aged for one year: part in tronconic wooden Grenier casks, part in stainless steel, and part in clay jars situated in the deepest part of the chateau’s cellar. The result is a wine of remarkable finesse and liveliness, with delicate tannins and strikingly energetic fruit, and the old age of the vines is felt in the wine’s intensity rather than in any sense of weight or undue power.
Details
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Grape Variety
Cabernet Franc
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Vintage
2020
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Size
750ml
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Farming Practice
Biodynamic
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Style
Earthy , Fruity , Minerally
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Sweetness
Dry
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Body
Medium Bodied