Olga Raffault Chinon Les Barnabés 2022 - 75cl

If your idea of Chinon is something stern and slow to come round, Les Barnabes is the friendlier introduction. Five generations of the Raffault family farm in the Veron, the tongue of land where the Vienne meets the Loire, and this is their bright, early-drinking cuvee.

It is Cabernet Franc from sandy, gravelly alluvial soils near the rivers, fermented with native yeasts and raised in tank rather than oak. That choice keeps it fresh and unmasked, and sets it apart from the firmer, longer-lived Les Peuilles, which the domaine grows on heavier clay-and-limestone ground and holds back for years. Barnabes is the opposite instinct: catch the fruit at its most vivid and bottle it while it sings. Here is Chinon AOC in its most charming register: red currant and raspberry, a lick of violet, and the leafy, graphite-and-gravel signature that makes Loire Cabernet Franc so recognisable. 2022 was a warm, ripe vintage, so the fruit is generous and the grape's usual green edge reads more as a fresh herbal lift than a bite.

Fine tannins, bright acidity and genuine drinkability round it out. Where the Raffault family's Les Peuilles asks you to be patient, this cuvee simply wants a corkscrew. It is the Chinon to reach for on a weeknight, or to convert a friend who thinks Cabernet Franc is all pencil shavings and stalks. Made to enjoy young, it is singing now and will stay fresh for another four or five years, so there is no need to hide it away.

How to Serve

Serve cool, around 14-15°C; a light chill really flatters it. A big glass, no decant required.

Where to Drink It

• Planque, Haggerston, a cellar built for Loire Cabernet Franc.
• Dandy, Newington Green, bistro cooking and exactly this style of red.

Food Pairings

Charcuterie and rillettes, roast chicken, or grilled salmon.