Been a while since I dug into a soft-shouldered CF, and this little guy has all the markings of a negociant-bottling by importer. At least that’s what I can decipher. Dark, ruddy ruby in the glass with glimpses of purple at the rim. A little old-world funk blew off quickly, revealing a stupidly-ripe berry elixir with mineralific undertones.
Juicy and delicious in the mouth, probably the finest example of American-wooing I’ve seen from this region. No one with a California palate could refuse this, as the dense fruit tries its best to cover up the chalky body and vegetal-stimulus lurking below. Sexy tobacco-smoky corsets the middle, while a grating, seriously bell-pepper-y and tomato-vine studded finish might turn some people aside, but it’s their loss. A bit chubby for me, but plenty of euro-shit going on behind the scenes to make it all worthwhile. Plus you couldn’t TOUCH a wine like this for 25 bucks on the west coast. Second day in a row of a BTG offering EVERY resty in the US should have.
2018 PARIS WINE CO ‘Les Athletes du Vin’ Chinon Loire Valley France 13.0
Stephen McConnell 