Turning 30 this year, so I'm making a point to drink more birth year wines leading up to my 30th.
Part 1 of my "Dirty Thirty" wine series is this 1996 Chinon Cab Franc from Bernard Baudry.
Some general tasting notes: strawberry salsa, hint of salt/salinity, roasted pepper, graphite, medium body, long finish, medium+ tannin, sadly some subtle mouseyness crept in after 3 hrs.
For 30yrs old, this was a bit of a treat, especially for $50. It still had surprising freshness and subtle but firm tannins.
Grown on mixed gravel and sands on recent alluvial terraces that sit just above the Vienne river. Funnily enough, the domain recommends drinking this wine young. Perhaps this is a newer suggestion due to the change in climate.
An older Kermit Lynch import, very cool to see what he was tasting back in the 1990's.
by W-3S
5 Comments
I have to ask- where did you find a 1996 Les Granges?
Also, ’96 is a baller birth year for Loire wines. Red or white, dry or sweet, all the good stuff is stunning that year.
that’s an awesome note and happy pre-lated birthday.
had to laugh at the mousy note in a 30 year old wine.
we’ve always been at war with natt-asia
Nice! Loire CF is a lowkey superstar for ageability.
Recently had La Domaine as my first Baudry. Really awesome stuff. Had not been a big fan of CF until then.
i didn’t know Chinon could age for decades. Back then Loire reds were just quaffers churned out for bistros, very few domaines took it seriously.