2020 Chinon Les Charmes

From vines planted on one-metre-deep clay soils. Aged 7–8 months in neutral oak . Lifted fruit but still a little overpriced. Quite aggressive acidity. (JR)

Acquired in 2008, this plot is located on the left bank of the Vienne River, nestled on clay and chalky soils with a north-facing orientation. The 2020 Chinon Les Charmes, vinified in wooden tanks and aged six months in the same type of containers, displays a spicy, deep bouquet of dark wild berries, violet, licorice and rose petals with a discreet oak influence. Medium-bodied, layered and textured, it’s seamless with fine-grained tannins and a long, tense and ethereal finish framed by chalky dry extracts. This vintage is a superb expression of Cabernet Franc cultivated on clay-limestone soils.

The 2020 Les Charmes is an elegant, well-handled wine. Grown on a clay/limestone slope, this light-bodied wine has fine texture: it is succulent and supple with the finest of chalky-grained tannins. The extra year in bottle since I last tasted has taken the youth off its buoyant fruit and provided greater harmony. While blue and red fruit are still clear, it's all a bit more mellow, and there's just the merest hint of development. This is a wine that certainly lives up to its name.