Château du Petit Thouars, Chinon “L’Epée”

Believe it or not, we still geek out over every offer on SommSelect, but there are inevitably varying levels of excitement: Some greatly pique our interest, a select few leave us stunned speechless, and on rare occasions, one will tightly grip and rattle our very core for days on end. That’s what today’s epic French bottling did to our entire team. When it comes to vividly encapsulating one of the world’s most historically important grapes and regions, Petit Thouars’ Chinon is a godsend, privilege, and paragon all in one. In simpler speak, certain combinations of vintage/producer/price are just extra-special, and this wine delivers more authenticity, complexity, and pure joy at $28 than any serious wine lover has a right to expect.I’d like to expand on that “authenticity”: Today’s region-defining estate is home to a history so rich, it could fill out the entire Smithsonian: Surrounded by vines and a crumbling stone wall is a dominating 500-year-old limestone castle, where no less than