WTN: Mature Chinon from Alliet and Joguet

These two Chinons were drunk on successive days thus permitting easy comparison. It is interesting to note that producer style overtrumps terroir and even vintage differences. The Alliet comes from gravelly sand which is supposed to produce lightish fruity wines for early drinking while the Joguet comes from "silico-calcaire" -sandy-chalk- and "silico-argileux" -sandy-clay- (geologists - pukka translation please?) which are supposed to produce wines with more backbone for ageing. Likewise 1999 was supposedly the more easy-going vintage.

Chinon Vieilles Vignes 1999 - Philippe Alliet - Alc.12.5% was still quite darkly coloured and medium+ bodied with robust dense red fruit, minerals and good backbone but this bottle suffered from a barnyard component which tended to dominate the aromatic palette. I am far from an anti-brett fundamentalist but at this level it unbalanced the wine which was still pleasant to drink but much less subtle and charming than one opened a couple of years ago; 15/20.

Chinon Les Varennes du Grand Clos 2000 - Charles Joguet - Alc.12.5%. What a difference! The colour was more transparent with a little bricking. The nose was elegant and complex with notes of tangy red fruit and minerals with a dab of wet leather and a lovely fragrance. The palate was slightly lighter that the Alliet's but beautifully shaped with good length, gentle tannic support for the finish and elegantly complex, discreetly mineralised and fragrant fruit. The experts say that the mid-90s to the mid-00s were an off period at the Joguet estate but I have loved all the 96s which I have opened in the last 5 years or so and now this 00; 17/20.

Thanks for this thoughtful write-up Tim. The only Joguet wine that I have is the 2002 Chinon Clos de la Dioterie. Do you think I should be drinking up?

Thanks for the notes. Awesome. Looking back, I wish I had bought more Chinon.

Jason

Thanks for this thoughtful write-up Tim. The only Joguet wine that I have is the 2002 Chinon Clos de la Dioterie. Do you think I should be drinking up?

FWIW, I thought the 1993 Clos de la Dioterie was in its prime drinking window and the 1995 was young when I had them last November. I think 2002 was a bit warmer in the Loire (could be wrong about that(, so that might accelerate the drinking window a bit. These wines are routinely drank too early (I'm as guilty as anyone...), if you have a couple bottles, put some aside for another decade or so. They're incredibly good with age on them.

Bob, I broadly agree with Matthew. 2002 was a great year for Loire Chenin but the reds are pretty good too. There was a great Indian summer rather than a hot high summer as in 2003. Dioterie is a good ager so I wouldn't be in a hurry. If depends how many bottles you have. If several, it wouldn't hesitate to open one soon to see how they are coming on.

Thanks gentlemen, I only have the one bottle purchased during a trip to London 2 yrs ago.