Béatrice et Pascal Lambert: Tasting & Drinking
Today Pascal Lambert turns out a range of terroir-focused wines from his domaine, wines vibrant in style and filled with dark fruit. They are deeper in colour and richer in black cherry, black plum and blackcurrant aromatics and flavours than some examples of Chinon, especially at the top end of the portfolio, but the style and structure of the wines, with their cool-climate tension, remain within a range that I consider to be typical of the appellation. There is some use of wood here too, but old oak dominates, with large cuves and large barrels on the whole, and this therefore does not negatively affect the style here.
These are wines worth getting acquainted with, especially at the top end, as both Les Puys (or Cuvée Danaé/Les Puits Danaé, as it was) and Cuvée Marie are convincing wines which would do well in the cellar, and I think they would develop interesting complexity as they age. For those looking for a more accessible style of Chinon to drink now, Les Terrasses would be a very good option. In recent vintages, some of which have been very difficult, these cuvées have impressed with vibrant colours and bright, pure fruit profiles.
The white wines are also of note, with Les Chesnaies being particularly worthy of investigation. The Cuvée Antoine, demi-sec in style, is certainly a curiosity which I am glad to have experienced. Of course, there is no reason why white Chinon should not have residual sugar; there is no real historical precedent against such a style, as white wines have long been a niche interest in the appellation. Having said that, I personally look for more stony reticence in the white wines of Chinon. (25/3/14, updated 25/11/18, 11/9/26)
