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Location: France, Loire, Chinon
Winemaker: Sylvie Raffault & Eric de la Vigerie
Grapes: Cabernet Franc
Soil: Chalky clay/limestone
Winemaking: The fruit is destemmed, 30 day maceration, fermented in stainless steel. Aged a minimum of two years in 30 to 50hl foudres then bottle aged until deemed ready for release (often a minimum of four years). Three grams of S02 are added per hectoliter on the harvest and with an addition of one to three grams at bottling.
From the Importer Louis/Dressner Selections: ‘Les Picasses’ is the most famous lieu-dit in Chinon, close to the village of Beaumont-En-Véron on the north bank of the Vienne River. The Raffault family owns a considerable amount of the lieu dit, around 50% of its 20+ hectares. While other producers bottle as Les Picasses, the Raffault's is viewed of the benchmark expression of this famous terroir. A big reason of that is the family's patience in releasing the wines when they deem them ready to drink: on average six to seven years after it was harvested.
Since Olga's death, Domaine Olga Raffault is currently run by her granddaughter Sylvie and her husband Eric de la Vigerie.
The estate has terrific plots of land in the Savigny-en-Véron district, right by the Vienne riverbanks. The "Les Picasses" vineyard stands out from the rest: old vines of 50-ish years on a fairly steep slope from the riverbank that is alluvial clay with a chalk limestone base. The fruit is particularly expressive of cassis and dark cherries with a terrific mineral content and good acidity for structure.
The winemaking is most traditional. The grapes are, of course, handpicked and fermented in stainless-steel. The wines are then aged in larger, neutral oak and sometimes chestnut - a traditional wood barrel in the region. The "Picasses" spends two to three years in oak, to reduce the wine and soften the tannins, and is usually released about four years after the vintage.
Location: France, Loire, Chinon
Winemaker: Sylvie Raffault & Eric de la Vigerie
Grapes: Cabernet Franc
Soil: Chalky clay/limestone
Winemaking: The fruit is destemmed, 30 day maceration, fermented in stainless steel. Aged a minimum of two years in 30 to 50hl foudres then bottle aged until deemed ready for release (often a minimum of four years). Three grams of S02 are added per hectoliter on the harvest and with an addition of one to three grams at bottling.
From the Importer Louis/Dressner Selections: ‘Les Picasses’ is the most famous lieu-dit in Chinon, close to the village of Beaumont-En-Véron on the north bank of the Vienne River. The Raffault family owns a considerable amount of the lieu dit, around 50% of its 20+ hectares. While other producers bottle as Les Picasses, the Raffault's is viewed of the benchmark expression of this famous terroir. A big reason of that is the family's patience in releasing the wines when they deem them ready to drink: on average six to seven years after it was harvested.
Since Olga's death, Domaine Olga Raffault is currently run by her granddaughter Sylvie and her husband Eric de la Vigerie.
The estate has terrific plots of land in the Savigny-en-Véron district, right by the Vienne riverbanks. The "Les Picasses" vineyard stands out from the rest: old vines of 50-ish years on a fairly steep slope from the riverbank that is alluvial clay with a chalk limestone base. The fruit is particularly expressive of cassis and dark cherries with a terrific mineral content and good acidity for structure.
The winemaking is most traditional. The grapes are, of course, handpicked and fermented in stainless-steel. The wines are then aged in larger, neutral oak and sometimes chestnut - a traditional wood barrel in the region. The "Picasses" spends two to three years in oak, to reduce the wine and soften the tannins, and is usually released about four years after the vintage.