Domaine Pallus, Chinon “Clos du Pallus”

We’ve written many times about the pleasures that top-tier Loire Valley Cab Franc offers: fresh, fruity, spicy, and bistro-ready. But today's opulent Chinon is a completely different story. This special, old-vine cuvée from a tiny, monopole vineyard is several degrees of magnitude up the Richter Scale of depth, complexity, and age-ability.Yes, you can compare the notes of rose and violet to Chambolle, or the core of savory, iron-like earthiness to Margaux, but then the umami of mingling green, red and black peppercorns hits with a soft wave of tastebud magic. This is what the very best Chinon can really deliver.The “Clos du Pallus” is a small vineyard planted in 1962 on a southeast-facing slope that overlooks the family home at the Domaine de Pallus (hence the name). From the beginning this vineyard was meant to convey the potential of the domaine and to epitomize the excellence that Cabernet Franc on the soils of Chinon can achieve. However, it was not until Bertrand Sordais returned