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Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses 2009

$8999

Chinon rewards patience, and Olga Raffault has always been happy to do the waiting for you. Les Picasses is the domaine's flagship: a south-facing slope of clay over limestone tuffeau, planted to Cabernet Franc vines over fifty years old, farmed organically and fermented with indigenous yeast. The wine spends years in large oak and chestnut foudres and then more years in bottle before release. The 2009 was a warm, generous vintage in the Loire, which shows up here as riper fruit and a rounder frame than the leaner years, without giving up the chalky spine that makes Picasses what it is. Sylvie Raffault and her family are among the last true traditionalists in one of France's great Cabernet Franc appellations.

Shipping

Every step of the journey is managed to uphold the integrity of each bottle.

  • Nationwide Access: Flat-rate shipping available to most U.S. states with delivery in 3-5 business days.
  • Temperature-Monitored Shipping: We closely monitor weather conditions and make informed decisions to ensure shipments travel safely, with insulated packaging and refrigerated transport available when required.
  • Wine-Specific Protective Packaging: Specialized materials designed to maintain label integrity and prevent breakage during transit.
  • Provenance Assured: All wines are maintained in climate-controlled conditions at our shop until the moment of dispatch.

Returns & Exchanges

We stand behind every bottle we sell.

  • If the wine is less than 10 years old and it is corked, you may return it to us for a full refund or exchange within 60 days of purchase. You must show us proof of purchase. We understand that you may not live near a shop and that it is difficult to ship open bottles of wine to us, so if there's any problem feel free to Contact Us and we'll work it out.
  • For wines older than 10 years, the consumer bears the risk of a faulty cork, but we accept returns of older bottles if the wine is faulty as a result of improper storage. Please come by the store or Contact Us if there is a problem.
  • We may, at our discretion and to the extent permitted by law, accept returns of unopened wines within 30 days of purchase if they were properly stored by the purchaser, subject to a 15% re-stocking fee.

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Have Questions?

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Hours

Monday - Friday: 11am - 8pm

Saturday: 12pm - 5pm

CLOSED SUNDAYS

Email: help@flatiron-wines.com
Phone: (415) 780-1405


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Antonio Galloni

93 points

"The 2009 Chinon Les Picasses is ripe and round with plenty of tenderness. Drinking beautifully now, it boasts aromas of log fires, tea leaves and a note of mushroom. Concentrated yet elegant, with well-handled tannins providing a gentle caress and coating the mouth with a fine texture that makes you want to lick your lips. Smoky, scented finish." —Rebecca Gibb MW

Robert Parker

93 points

"The 2009 Chinon Les Picasses is from a very warm vintage but was picked late on October 13th because Les Picasses is a late-ripening vineyard. Aged 12 years now, the wine opens with an intense and slightly matured bouquet of dark fruits, tar and nougat. Silky, refined and elegant on the first palate, this is a full-bodied, intense and complex Cab Franc with a ripe and sweet, well-concentrated and structured core framed by fine tannins and an iodine finesse and phenolic tension." —Stephan Reinhardt

Decanter

94 points

"The nose here displays plum, liquorice, gentle spices and a light earthy touch reminiscent of damp forest floor. The palate is striking for its vivacity and an overall impression of crystalline harmony. Exemplary Loire freshness coming from a solar vintage."

More about Olga Raffault

Cabernet Franc is surely one of the world's greatest red wine grapes. It can make excellent wine in many styles, from light-and-fruity "bistro" quaffers to structured, dense vins de garde. It can evoke a kaleidoscope of flavors, like cherries, flowers, bell peppers, clay, or potting soil—sometimes all at once. It's also a great transmitter of terroir, showcasing its origin with fine geological and climatic detail.
The grape is most at home in the Loire, where it reigns as the region's supreme red variety. The best examples are found in the AOCs of Saumur-Champigny and Chinon, and it is the latter where the benchmark domaine of Olga Raffault is located. Raffault has been crafting some of the most iconic, terroir specific wines in Chinon for decades. Their wines do not shy from every thing that Cabernet Franc has to offer and they age extremely well. Those of us who have been enjoying the library releases from the '80's and '90's over the years can attest well to their longevity. Unfortunately that well has now essentially run dry and they are releasing more current vintages. The good news is you don't have to wait decades to enjoy them; they are silky, savory, and delicious even in their youth. But give the wines a few years and the terroir becomes more assertive. The wine develops a rather generous, pungently sylvan perfume and the core of cherry-red fruit becomes even more refined. That's precisely what great Chinon can do.
Obviously, We're big fans of this Chinon benchmark. The estate is currently run by Olga’s grandaughter Sylvie and her husband, Eric. We admire how the winemaking has stayed super-traditional over the decades. And we love how prices have remained very reasonable, too.

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Cabernet Franc

  • Vintage

    2009

  • Size

    750ml

  • Farming Practice

    Organic

  • Style

    Earthy

  • Sweetness

    Dry

  • Body

    Medium Bodied

Flatiron's Take

From the Importer

Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

Perfect Pairings

Braised short ribs, roast lamb with herbs, or a mushroom and beef stew.

Tasting Profile

Medium-bodied red with ripe dark berry fruit, earth and tobacco, and firm but resolved tannins.

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