The result is a climate that allows the Cabernet Franc to ripen - but just barely. But it actually sits at the magical point where the climate begins to get just enough maritime influence to moderate the harsher continental climate to the east. Looking at the map above, Chinon may look like just another stop on the Loire’s eastward journey to the sea. The first key to understanding Chinon’s wines is the climate. It mostly makes red wines from Cabernet Franc, in a range of styles from light and accessible “picnic” wines, to complex and tannic wines that require years of aging to really show their stuff.Ĭhinon also makes small amounts of delicious rosée and teeny-tiny amounts of some truly mesmerizing white wines from Chenin Blanc.īut what makes it so fascinating to wine geeks the world over is that it is one of the most striking examples of the effect of terroir on wine in all of France. “Absurdly undervalued”! If that sounds like something you need more of in your life, read on for the keys to this land of value!Ĭhinon wine comes from an appellation named after the Loire Valley town, Chnon, which is located in the Touraine Region.Ĭhinon is the Loire’s largest red wine appellation (by volume) and one of France’s most fascinating. In charm, if not in force or structure, it can come surprisingly close today… For its quality it is absurdly undervalued” Historically it was one of the most sought after wines in the world too.Īs Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson write in their classic, The World Atlas of Wine, “A hundred years ago Chinon’s wine was rated the equal of Margaux. Chinon is one of the great wines of France.
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