Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Friday 16 September 2011

60 years of Chinon in prospect


La Vienne, the town of Chinon and part of the Château

Thursday: off to Chinon for a big tasting on Friday morning when the Chinon producers are showing a range of wines over 60 vintages for 1945 to 2005. This promises to be fascinating. Although I have tasted a few 1947 Chinons I don’t think I have tasted any since 1992 – some long time ago. Same for the famous 1964, which I have tasted but not recently – 64 has the reputation of being one of the great Chinons.

Of course it may be the famous vintages like 1945, 1947, 1949, 1959, 1964, 1989, 1990, 1996 and 2005 will shine but it will be equally fascinating to see how the less heralded vintages have aged – 1948 or 1951 for example – likewise 1963 or 1968.

First off it was the Eurostar to Paris and then across on the Metro 4 to the Gare de Montparnasse – not one of my favourite railway stations: a monument to concrete and very impersonal. It doesn’t have a scintilla of the charm of the Gare du Lyon or even the Gare du Nord.

This evening we will be at the Château de Rivau, where we are promised that the late François Rabelais, Chinon’s greatest ambassador may put in an appearance.

PS: I didn’t have a chance to post this before today’s fascinating and very interesting vertical of Chinon, although it wasn’t quite as advertised as we started with a 1934. More details of the tasting tomorrow.

Château du Rivau where the tasting was held

2 comments:

Bob Rossi said...

Wow! I'd give my right arm to be part of this tasting. Well, I'm right-handed, so maybe my left arm. But in any event, it sounds fabulous.

Jim's Loire said...

Bob. Thanks. Not all the vintages were fabulous some were and overall it was a great event.