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B-21 Top Recommendation
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While not extremely well-known on this side of the Atlantic, Domaine Philippe Alliet is one of the Chinon appellation's leading lights, standing in strong company right alongside the likes of Charles Joguet. Father and son Philippe and Pierre employ meticulous methods to their prized vineyard holdings (some of the very best in all of Chinon), spearheading a new wave of viticulture that emphasizes very low yields and optimally ripe fruit at all costs. The resulting wines are nothing short of revelatory, reference-point expressions, which we saw first-hand during a tasting last fall. The entire range is superb, but the 93-point 2022 Vieilles Vignes offers a perfect introduction to this remarkable, must-know estate.
"This vintage is one of the most precise and pure expressions of Vieilles Vignes I have ever tasted. Kudos!" - Yohan Castaing, Wine Advocate
Selecting from the oldest vines in their various plots, all at least 70 years old, the Alliets vinify and age the VV entirely in cement vats, while full de-stemming only adds to the sheer allure of the wine's personality and expression. As our own Loire buyer Andrew Kitz observes, "this makes for a style that might come across as 'modern' to some, but in reality it's varietal purity through and through. In essence, textbook Chinon Cabernet Franc." Best of all, we're bringing you the Alliet wines directly from the domaine as new additions to our rapidly expanding Loire direct-import range, so the quality for price, which was already outstanding, becomes essentially unbeatable in the category. |
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Aromas of raspberries, licorice, cassis and dark wild berries preface the 2022 Chinon Vieilles Vignes, a medium-bodied, enveloping and layered wine with a seamless, fine-grained texture complemented by powdery tannins and concluding with a long and ethereal finish. This vintage is one of the most precise and pure expressions of Vieilles Vignes I have ever tasted. Kudos!
93 points, Yohan Castaing, Wine Advocate (Jun 2024)
What a great scoop for our Loire direct-import portfolio to have Philippe Alliet and his son Pierre join the fold. They’re far less known in the US than they should be, because these wines are easily among the very best in Chinon. The 2022 Vieilles Vignes, sourced from their oldest plots at least 70 years of age, is undeniably charming for seasoned Loire fans and the Loire curious alike. Done entirely in concrete from fully de-stemmed fruit, the 2022 is emblematic of the new wave of growers in Chinon, among whom the Alliets stand out in a big way. Compact aromatics of dark currant, black cherry, anisette, and red hard candy jump from the glass, with just a tinge of chalky minerality underneath. The palate is equally concentrated and compact, with more dark fruits, white peppercorn, and red licorice. Great structural balance and texturally suave, it’s juicy and perfectly ripe. This makes for a style that might come across as “modern” to some, but in reality it's varietal purity through and through. In essence, textbook Chinon Cabernet Franc.
92 points, Andrew Kitz, B-21 Loire Buyer (Dec 2025)
Dried herbs, berries, paprika and violets on the nose. It’s full-bodied and deeply colored with excellent purity. Lots of ripe, fine tannins. Cabernet franc aged in concrete. Drink or hold.
91 points, Claire Nesbitt, James Suckling (Apr 2025)
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