Chateau de Coulaine Chinon Bonnaventure 2019

From calcareous sand and clay soils directly behind the château, the 2019 Chinon Bonnaventure offers a deep and intense yet pure, fresh and authentic sour cherry and sauerbraten nose with yeasty, "low-sulfur" and discreet flinty notes. Full-bodied, round and intense on the palate, this is a silky-textured and vital Chinon with fine and ripe tannins and a tart, lemon-bitter and round finish. Although the wine is already accessible, I think the bitter and round elements will better intertwine after aging in bottle a while. Tasted in June 2021.

Supple and mouth-filling thanks to the yellow chalk soils, the 2019 Chinon Bonneaventure is round with fine, grippy tannins and a salty yet chalky sensation. Notes of smoky bacon alongside the red berry fruit point to it being a touch reductive in youth, so allow it some air. Rather tight and drying on the finish, with alcohol warming (14%). A bit more serious than the entry-level Chateau de Coulaine but still one for drinking up to five years.