Olga Raffault, Chinon, Les Picasses

Cabernet Franc can express itself in many ways depending on the place in where it is grown. Its most classic expression can be found around the village of Chinon, within the Loire Valley of France.There are many traditional producers in this area and Olga Raffault has earned her reputation as one of the best in the appellation. You can commonly see 10-year verticals of her Chinon on the wine lists of the best restaurants in the world. Even though Olga passed away a few years back, her grand daughter, Sylvie, is carrying on her winemaking legacy.Raffault's traditional style and classic approach are what draw many top sommeliers to her wines. The grapes at the estate are farmed with no herbicides or pesticides, then hand picked and fermented in whole clusters with no destemming. The wine is then transferred to large neutral barrels for aging before bottling with little sulfur. These are deep, savory, perfumed wines hailing from top crus like Les Picasses in the subdistrict of Savigny-en-