2023 Domaine de la Chapelle, Chinon Rouge, Les Joueurs, Loire Valley, France.
So genuinely quintessentially Chinon, and old school, with austere rustic charm, I almost thought this pure Cabernet Franc from Domaine de la Chapelle was a rough and tumble Cahors Malbec when tasted blind recently, but once revealed in the glass there was nothing but true raw varietal character and terroir fully expressed here with a leathery dry palate of dark berry fruit, bell pepper, anise and cedar notes leading the way. This all organic and biodynamic Les Joueurs 2023, the first wine from Domaine de la Chapelle since its acquisition by Laurent Dumas, is a dark inky Cab Franc of which can leave no doubt about its origin in the Loire Valley, was made with minimalist techniques in the cellar, using indigenous yeasts and no overt wood in the aging. This wine, with the youthful acidity and chewy structure certainly needs some food to show its best side and open up fully, which we did with a beef stew and there was more enjoyment with every sip, where floral violets and deeper cherry and currant fruit came forth. Again, this wine grew on me, and it will appeal to Cab Franc fans that are not looking for Bordeaux style versions of the grape, there’s not any flash or polish and again it needs matching cuisine to shine.
Originally founded in 1983, the modern Domaine de la Chapelle was formed with inherited vines and the idea to cultivate them with holistic methods to preserve the environment for the future generations, but the label was reborn by Laurent Dumas in 2022 with a renewed all biodynamic commitment to producing a true wine of place with natural methods. Domaine de la Chapelle is located at Le Puy, on the banks of the Vienne River, within in the commune of Cravant-les-Côteaux, and the estate cultivates 15.5 hectares of Cabernet Franc and 1.5 hectares of Chenin Blanc on the regions classic chalky soils. Dumas says that he celebrates the expression of the Cabernet Franc and Chenin grapes from each of his unique plots and allows them to show themselves in each different cuvée, while Les Joueurs is the estate’s flagship bottling and is blended from a mosaic of plots on the lower plains of the main estate. The limestone, clay and stony soils play their part here and having never had, for obvious reasons this wine before, as this is its debut, I was left impressed and look forward to trying some of the more limited bottlings here at Domaine de la Chapelle and I was also happily pleased with the very reasonable price for this Les Joueurs, with some retailers offering a bigger discounting on it!
($33 Est.) 90 Points, grapelive