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Jean-Maurice Raffault: Vineyards

Today the vineyards of Jean-Maurice Raffault remain very parcellated, bringing a great diversity of soil types to the portfolio. As in times past, the vinifications respect the parcel of origin, more details on which below. In total there are approximately 44 hectares of vines, a good size for the region, and of these about 5 hectares are Chenin Blanc, the remaining 39 hectares planted excusively to Cabernet Franc. The 5 hectares of white vines make Rodolphe Raffault a serious player in white, given that (at the time of writing) there are only about 100 hectares of Chenin Blanc planted in the entire Chinon appellation. There are probably only two domaines with larger holdings, these being Couly-Dutheil and Domaine de la Noblaie.

As already noted the domaine is fully organic, certified by ECOCERT in 2019 after the first vines were signed over to organic methods in 2009. As a rule Rodolphe works the soil in place of herbicides, on other rows he plants grass to reduce the vigour of the vine. Where suitable he makes some limited use of horses to do the work.

The most prestigious vineyards feature strong in the portfolio of wines and so it makes sense to put them under the spotlight here.