Region: Chinon, France

Varietal: 100% Cabernet Franc

Tasting Notes: Cabernet Franc is a misunderstood grape, producing wines that run the gamut from lean, mean, and green to high octane powerhouses that are almost indistinguishable from its closest relative, Cabernet Sauvignon. In the Loire Valley the style is most often the former, but there are a select few who make wines that are a very happy, and delicious, medium between the extremes. Perhaps none do this better than Philippe Alliet. His Vieilles Vignes Chinon is perfectly balanced–showing richly textured fruit and weight but without heaviness or over extraction. It’s got a little Bordeaux, a hint of Napa, and a lot of top tier Loire, and the 70 plus year old vines give it exceptional depth and complexity. This is a reference-point wine in the appellation, from a powerful vintage. It is unquestionably a worthy choice for your cellar.

Producer: Alliet and his wife, Claude, have been collecting accolades in Chinon since 1983, when they took over the domaine from Philippe’s father. More recently, their son, Pierre, has joined the team, and they have continued to grow their reputation as meticulous farmers/vintners. The vineyards supplying fruit for this Vieilles Vignes 2020 are, as the name would suggest, old—about 70 years—and the hand-harvested grapes are completely de-stemmed (a contributor to the wine’s plush texture) before fermentation in cement vats. Aging for the Vieilles Vignes is increasingly done in cement tanks where previously used barrels were the standard.

Vineyard & Winemaking: Most of the Alliet vineyards, now totaling about 18 organically farmed hectares in the village of Cravant-les-Coteaux, are in alluvial (i.e. gravelly) flatlands close to the Vienne River (which feeds into the Loire), but they’ve added sites up on the clay/limestone hillsides as well. Most of their plantings are of Cabernet Franc, and yields are kept fanatically low; Alliet is a regular visitor to Bordeaux and takes inspiration from its wines in crafting his own.