2020 Chinon, Coteau de Noiré, Philippe Alliet, Loire

Limestone. Mix of old and young vines, averaging around 30 years old. Caraway, red plums, intense and vertical. Beautiful cumin notes spliced with sumac and dark, dark flowers. Mouth-watering. The tannins are supple, curlicue; punctuation directing the fruit from phrase to phrase. There is something about the structure and nuance of the oak which reminds me of right-bank bordeaux, but that's not to say it doesn't retain its Chinon identity. A superb wine.Drink 2024 - 2024Tamlyn Currin, JancisRobinson.com (November 2023)

The Côteau de Noiré is a 2.5-ha vineyard on a steep slope with a clay-limestone base. The 2020 is an almost unctuous Chinon with its rich strawberry and black cherry fruit. It's smooth and supple and has its act together with delightfully chalky tannins that will leave you licking the inside of your mouth. Excellent, fragrant and long.The father-and-son team of Philippe and Pierre Alliet have raised the bar for what’s possible with Loire Cabernet Franc and are now running one of the top domaines in Chinon. Pierre now mostly runs the estate's day-to-day, with 18 hectares of Cabernet Franc and a single hectare of Chenin Blanc. One thing he’s introduced is using more cement tanks and less oak. The south-facing limestone slope of L’Huisserie and the steep site called Côteau de Noire are two of the top single vineyards in all of Chinon.Drink 2025 - 2040Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous.com.com (August 2022)