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More wines available from Olga Raffault
750ml
Bottle:
$19.20
100% Cabernet Franc. 2022 is the first vintage for the new entry-level Chinon from Raffault. The fruit comes from...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.25
$22.00
100% Cabernet Franc. Les Barnabés stands apart from Raffault's other main sites, Les Picasses and Les Peuilles,...
750ml
Bottle:
$24.94
100% Cabernet Franc. Les Barnabés stands apart from Raffault's other main sites, Les Picasses and Les Peuilles,...
750ml
Bottle:
$25.20
100% Cabernet Franc. Like the more renowned Les Picasses, Les Peuilles is a lieu-dit close to the village of...
375ml
Bottle:
$18.00
100% Cabernet Franc. Les Picasses is the most famous Chinon lieu-dit, close to the village of Beaumont-En-Véron on...
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Winery
Olga Raffault
Vintage: 2008
2008 saw very high yields across wineries in much of the southern hemisphere, as a result of highly favorable climatic conditions. Although in many areas, these high yields brought with them something of a drop in overall quality, this could not be said for South Australia's wines, which were reportedly excellent. Indeed, the 2008 Shiraz harvest in South Australia is said to be one of the most successful in recent decades, and western Australia's Chardonnays are set to be ones to watch out for. New Zealand's Pinot Noir harvest was also very good, with wineries in Martinborough reportedly very excited about this particular grape and the characteristics it revealed this year.
Pinot Noir also grew very well in the United States, and was probably the most successful grape varietal to come out of California in 2008, with Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley delivering fantastic results from this grape. Elsewhere in United States, Washington State and Oregon had highly successful harvests in 2008 despite some early worries about frost.
However, it was France who had the best of the weather and growing conditions in 2008, and this year was one of the great vintages for Champagne, the Médoc in Bordeaux, Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence, with Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay grapes leading the way. Italy, too, shared many of these ideal conditions, with the wineries in Tuscany claiming that their Chianti Classicos of 2008 will be ones to collect, and Piedmont's Barberesco and Barolo wines will be recognized as amongst the finest of the past decade.
Varietal: Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc varietal grapes are a key ingredient in many of the finest wines in the world. For centuries they have been used in their native France for balancing out and adding their unique flavor and aroma to the finest wines of the Bordeaux region, and in more recent decades, they have been used all over the New World in attempts to emulate this most illustrious of wine styles. Alone, Cabernet Franc is an exciting, rich and elegant wine grape, producing wines packed full of interesting and highly aromatic characteristics. Violets, tobacco, bell pepper, blackcurrant and several other notes are regularly found within wines made from this grape, and the rich, pale garnet red color they offer makes them a favorite for both vintners and wine drinkers around the world.
Region: Loire Valley
The ancient wine region of the Loire Valley in France is a perfect place to discover the country's finest examples of white wines, which are made with a highly successful blend of traditional and modern wine-making techniques. Indeed, the Loire Valley has a wine-making tradition which stretches back almost two thousand years, and today continues to be a standard bearer for fine white wines made predominantly with Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc varietal grapes. However, it also produces superb red wines from the Cabernet Franc grapes which thrive there, and plenty of excellent rosé and sparkling wines for which the region is also famous. With almost ninety controlled appellations, the Loire Valley is an extremely important region within France, and the significance of their produce cannot be overlooked.
Country: France
It is widely understood and accepted that the finest wines in the world come out of France. Whether you are drinking a vintage bottle from one of the famed Grand Cru wineries of Bordeaux - such as Chateau Margaux or Chateau Lafite-Rothschild - or a more simple and affordable bottle from one of the lesser known appellations in Burgundy, the likelihood is that the wine is packed full of intense and interesting flavors, and has a fine, balanced structure typical of almost all French produce. This reputation for excellence is taken extremely serious by the French, with dozens of regularly updated laws and regulations ensuring the quality and accurate labeling of wines. Such dedication and passion for fine wine, representative of the region in which it is produced, means customers can be assured that when they buy a bottle from France, they are buying something almost certain to please and delight.