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Château de Chaintres

The Château de Chaintres is a 17th Century estate, complete with vineyard, which once belonged to a monastic order attached to the nearby abbey, at Fontevraud, where Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine and their son, Richard the Lion Heart are buried. It is likely that the vineyard was established by the monks who owned the site. Managing the estate during more recent vintages has been Krishna Lester, a British ex-pat who came to viticulture and winemaking by a circuitous route involving theatre managing and even a stint as a balloon pilot. The more relevant facets of Lester's curriculum vitae include a little oenological study in Bordeaux, before being invited to run the show at the Château de Chaintres, which he does now with the help of oenologist Laurence Desse. Lester is also the founding member of the Saumur Cricket Club, which has on occasion put up a brave fight against teams of visiting British wine writers, only to graciously lose.

Today the vineyard covers more than 20 ha, situated in a clos which surrounds the manor house. The terroir is favourable, with very typical limestone and chalk underfoot, and a southerly aspect which maximises exposure to the sun. The vineyard is planted solely with Cabernet Franc with an average vine age of over 40 years. The fruit is harvested by hand with an eventual yield typically between 50 and 55 hl/ha, before fermentation using temperature-controlled equipment, with a 20 day maceration to extract colour and structure. The wine sees eleven months in stainless steel and oak before bottling. As well as the straight domaine bottling, there is an old vine cuvée aged in oak, Oratoriens. I have fond memories of the former, having discovered the estate and its wines on my first visit to the Loire, back in 1992 or thereabouts. Sadly I have lost my notes from those times, but I still recall tasting and drinking the wines of Château de Chaintres, and those of Domaine Filliatreau, most vividly. (20/6/06)

Contact details:
Address: 49400 Dampierre sur Loire
Telephone: +33 (0) 2 41 52 90 54
Fax: +33 (0) 2 41 52 99 92
Internet: www.chaintres.com

Château de Chaintres - Tasting Notes

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Château de Chaintres Saumur-Champigny 2005: From a different source than my last bottle. What's also different is the synthetic closure; I am glad I didn't commit this bottle to any longer in the cellar. An amazing colour noted here, a deep red-black hue, and plenty of character on the nose as well with supple yet crunchy cranberry and sour cherry fruit framed by notes of black olives and mint. The same fruit character comes through on the palate, with sour cherry and plum again, the crunchy fruit slowly giving way as the wine opens up - over a couple of hours - to reveal a ripe and tannic style in keeping with the vintage. Overall this is very good, and under cork it would have been interesting to see how this faired with some bottle age. From a Loire 2005 assessment. 17/20 (January 2011)

Château de Chaintres Saumur-Champigny 2005: A great, vibrant colour here, and a very fine and typical nose, full of plum skin, cherry stone, charcoal and more. There are complex herbal notes here, rich bay leaf and rosemary, but crucially there is no greenness with it. Why some people think the apogee of the Loire Valley's red wines is rampant herbaceousness and not wonderful characteristics like these is beyond me. The palate is lovely; stony, with plums squashed over rocks, a hard texture and bright substance. It culminates in a great and grippy finish, touched by sooty tannin. A lovely wine which will do well in the cellar I am sure. From a tasting of Saumur wines. 17+/20 (January 2010)

Château de Chaintres Saumur-Champigny 2002: Rather reticent on the nose at first, and coming straight after the corked wine from René Legrand I must confess I was a little concerned. I needn't have worried, as within an hour or so this wine really came around. The appearance is in keeping with the wine's age, a dusty cherry red with a pink, oxblood rim. A lovely, refined and elegant nose, with ripe but heady and perfumed fruit, with a rich, macerated feel alongside a fine and crunchy freshness, also with notes of green peppercorn and tobacco. A good presence on the palate, cool and slightly detached, but with flesh and nice grip, with a flourish of ripe tannins coming through at the finish. Slightly autumnal edges to the fruit, but I like the soft, cottony, not-quite-silky texture, and there is plenty of substance and grip here. In fact the weight and tannic backbone suggest that this could go for another 3-4 years before we see it at its best. Impressive. From a tasting of Saumur wines. 17+/20 (January 2010)

Château de Chaintres Saumur-Champigny 2002: A very fine but significant sediment of tartrate crystals with this deeply coloured wine. Lots of character on the nose, first cherry fruit, then violets and little notes of sweet blackberries and even a hint of buttery biscuit. Lovely, restrained, stony-minerally texture on the palate, detached and reserved, with the dryness of a cherry stone but all the flavour of the fruit. A very dry, sappy finish, showing a little flurry of ripe tannins that mirrors the thin seam running through the midpalate. I'm sure this would age nicely over 3-4 years. Very good indeed. 17/20 (June 2006)