Olga Raffault, 2023 Update
The little arrowhead of land between the Loire and the Vienne, which locals would refer to as Véron, is probably where the planting of the Chinon vineyard began. The first references to vines in and around Chinon – during the Middle Ages – relate to this corner of the appellation, and the density of planting – the land here is absolutely blanketed with vines – would also seem to suggest a long viticultural history.
While the appellation superstars seem at first glance to orbit Cravant-les-Coteaux as reliably as the moon orbits the earth, there are in truth notable domaines scattered across the appellation, on both banks of the Vienne, and indeed on the broad expanse of sandy and sandy-clay soils (over deeper limestone) which characterise the Véron peninsula (if I can call it that). While there are a few worthy candidates, I think many Chinon adherents would look to the wines of Olga Raffault first.
The Domaine
The story of the domaine is well documented, having been created when Olga and Pierre Raffault were married, back in 1931. Bringing together their smallholdings they had just 3 hectares of vines, but it was the start of what would become a significant vineyard. In truth they had more asparagus than vines (a good use of these sandy soils), but they persisted with the vines as well, and during the second half of the 20th century – by which time Olga was a widow – viticulture gradually became the dominant activity on the property.
