Olga Raffault, 2018 Chinon 'Les Barnabés'
Cab Franc du Jour #57
Domaine Olga Raffault is unquestionably one of the benchmark producers in Chinon. The family has been tending vines on the Véron Peninsula for five generations, and today the estate is run by Olga’s granddaughter Sylvie, with her son Arnaud recently joining the domaine. They farm 23 hectares of Cabernet Franc across two communes, Savigny-en-Véron and Beaumont-en-Véron. Les Barnabés is one of three single-vineyard Cabernet Francs the estate produces, alongside Les Peuilles and Les Picasses.
Savigny-en-Véron
The lieu-dit is located in the commune of Savigny-en-Véron, which together with the tiny commune of Avoine makes up the Véron Peninsula, a triangular piece of land where the Loire takes a bend and the Vienne tributary begins. The proximity to these two rivers gives the area a slightly warmer microclimate overall. The vineyard itself sits about 3km northeast of the Vienne and roughly 2.5km southeast of the Loire.
The Vineyard
Les Barnabés is approximately 4 hectares of vines averaging around 35 years of age. In terms of soils, there are two main groups of alluvial terroir across the Chinon appellation. Further along the Vienne in communes like Cravant-les-Côteaux, the recent alluvial soils are deposits carried by the Vienne River itself. Here in Savigny-en-Véron, the soils are ancient alluvium of a different character, composed of sedimentary deposits from the Loire rather than the Vienne. The result is deep, light, sandy soils with a notably different feel to those found further down the valley.
The bedrock also differs from the Turonian tuffeau chalk that defines so much of Chinon. Here, the bedrock is a mix of chalk, marl, and sandstone dating to the Cenomanian era, making it geologically older than the Turonian tuffeau found in the communes further east along the Vienne River valley.
In the Cellar
Les Barnabés is conceived as an early-drinking expression of Cabernet Franc. The fruit is hand-harvested, destemmed but not crushed, and fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeast, spending approximately 30 days on skins. Aging also takes place in stainless steel for around 12 months before bottling.
Wine Details
Producer: Olga Raffault
Appellation: Chinon
Commune: Savigny-en-Véron
Lieu-Dit: Les Barnabés
Soil: Predominantly ancient alluvial sands atop a Cenomanian era limestone-marl-sandstone bedrock
Alcohol: 12.5%