Jean-Maurice
Raffault and Rodolphe Raffault’s family began cultivating vines
in Chinon 14 generations ago, when their ancestor, Mathurin Bottreau,
bought his first parcel of vines in 1693.
The
Chinon appellation covers both banks of the Vienne River, which is a
tributary of the Loire. The appellation encompasses 19 communes and has
a total area of 2400 hectares. Its soils and climate are perfectly
suited to the cultivation of the Cabernet Franc grape.
The
late Jean-Maurice Raffault, father of the present manager and winemaker
Rodolphe, was one the great personalities of Chinon. Upon taking over
the family domaine in 1973, Jean-Maurice revolutionized local practices
and put new practices in place that were widely emulated in the region.
First, he abandoned polyculture in favor of the cultivation of only
wine grapes. Beginning with only the 4.5 hectares he had inherited from
his father, Maurice, Jean-Maurice purchased and planted some of the
finest known sites of Chinon, expanding the domaine to 50 hectares. But
most importantly, he began to vinify each parcel separately to ensure
the typicity of each terroir. To reinforce this initiative, and to
highlight the unique character of each wine as a result of the soil
type and microclimate of its origin, Jean-Maurice began to use the name
of the individual sites for the respective wines. No one has done this
before in Chinon! The practice of naming Chinons with site names is now
commonplace in the appellation, and it began with Jean-Maurice
Raffault’s innovation.
Rodolphe Raffault
succeeded his father as winemaker and manager in 1997, after completing
his studies at the Dijon University school of oenology. Today he
vinifies and ages each wine separately. The maceration period ranges
from 15 to 28 days. Rodolphe continues the tradition of aging the
Chinons in neutral oak casks that are more than 10 years old. Their
impressive cellar houses 900 barrels and is the largest in the region.
Maturation takes place over 18 months in three huge caves cut into the
limestone cliffs, protected from light and remaining at a constant
temperature of 56 degrees and 85% humidity. Racking is done from barrel
to barrel, in the traditional method, which helps to clarify the wines
along with a later fining with egg whites. The wines are not
filtered.
Today, Domaine Jean-Maurice
Raffault owns 50 hectares of vines in 7 communes. The Cabernet Franc
vines average 35 years of age and 10 hectares within these sites are 50
years of age. The Chenin Blanc vines average 20 years of age. The
domaine practices sustainable viticulture, known as lutte raisonee in
France. The soils are either plowed or planted with grass. No chemical
fertilizers or herbicides are used.
Drawing on
his experience in Burgundy, Rodolphe initiated the practice of carrying
out the wine’s malolactic fermentation in 100% new barriques for his top cuvees. This practice, rare in Chinon, results in dramatically expressive and pure wines.
Raffault’s
Chinon’s are wonderfully expressive wines that go harmonize with a wide
variety of classic French dishes, while their natural fruity acidities
make them fine matches for Asiatic cuisine, grilled fish, and spicy
American foods. For wines of such depth and complexity, they also
represent remarkable value.
THE WINES
CHINON BLANC
This
rare wine, made from Chenin Blanc grapes, represents only 2% of the
total Chinon production. The grapes are planted mostly in the commune
of Ligre, on chalky, limestone clay soils. J-M Raffault’s Chinon Blanc
is fermented at low temperatures with only native yeasts. It is a white
wine of true finesse, at once rich and very fresh with notes of citrus,
honey and white fruits.
CHINON ROSE
Chinon
Rose is considered the finest rose of the Loire Valley. J-M Raffault’s
Chinon Rose comes from Cabernet Franc grapes planted across 10 hectares
of sand and gravel soils. To enhance the wine’s freshness, it is
vinified using mostly pressed juice. Fermentation is carried out at low
temperature with native yeasts, and the wine is bottled in March
following the harvest to preserve the bright and spicy red berry
fruit.
CHINON ROUGE
The
fruit for Domaine Jean-Maurice Raffault’s Chinon Rouge comes from
vineyards on sandy, alluvial soil near the Vienne River. This origin
gives a supple, fruity Chinon that is perfect for early drinking.
The wine’s bright cherry and raspberry flavors are best appreciated
with a slight chill.
CHINON LES GALUCHES
The Galuches lieu-dit
is an ancient river bed of the Loire. The name of parcel derives from
the presence of gravel. According the records from the era, vines were
already well established in this sector by the 1830s. The Cabernet
Franc ripens very well in the domaine’s 10 hectare holding on a sand
and gravel soil. The Galuches is always among the first site to be
picked because the soil warms up quickly and drains very well. The wine
is very aromatic and is noted for its bouquet of violets, followed by
lush and supple dark berry/cherry fruit.
CHINON LES PICASSES
Domaine J-M Raffault is the largest single owner in the 15
hectare Les Picasses vineyard, with six hectares of 15-to-60-year-old vines
spread over ten parcels. The Les Picasses is situated on a plateau at the
summit of the hills overlooking the Vienne.
The site is the highest point between the Vienne and Loire Rivers
and is very well exposed. It was home to many windmills in the 19th century.
Vines were already planted here by the 15th century. The name Picasses derives
from a vineyard tool with two points (pics) used to work on vines planted on
stony soil. The soil in the Picasses vineyard is a blend of limestone and clay
with small stones over a subsoil of pure limestone, imparting intensity and
structure to the wine. J-M Raffault’s Les Picasses is aged in 3- to-10-
year-old barriques for 18 months on
its fine lees and malolactic fermentation take place in cask. It is a wine of
great intensity of flavor -- minerally-tinged black cherry and kirsch-- and can
be aged for many years.
CHINON CLOS D’ISORE
This
parcel is situated in the enclosed vineyard of the Chateau d’Isore,
completed in the 17th century. The ancient cellar of the Chateau is
located beneath the vines. The 3 hectare vineyard was fully planted in
1938 with a selection massale,
which is largely intact to this day. The soil is a mix of clay and
limestone and the exposition of the sloping vineyard is north-west. The
Clos d’Isore is aged for 18 months in 1 to 5 year old barriques on its
fine lees and malolactic fermentation takes place in cask. It is a wine
for long aging, and the taster will appreciate the wine’s complex
cassis and dark cherry qualities after at least 3 years in the
cellar.