WTN: Chinon :-)

After spending the weekend in a man flu going through a dusty "library" (15 000 volumes stored like this! ) I didn't drink wine over the weekend because, due to flu and dust, I couldn't smell anything. So it was time to remedy the situation today, now that I'm regaining my sense of smell, and more importantly because we finally got a new Chinon in Alko!

Marc Brédif Chinon 2008 weighs in at 12,5% and has 5g/l acidity (and only 20% goes through malo - is it common that reds see so little malo? I always thought most reds go through it in greater amounts?). It is not a profound expression of Cab Franc (it's only 14€ and with Alko's prices, one really can't expect profundity at this price), but it is a very pleasant expression of it. Lovely fresh and refreshing aromas, slightly herbaceous, tobacco - very clean and pure. Some commented it was a bit dilute; I don't mind a juicy, well structured lightness at all and found it to have perfectly adequate stuffing. Though not profound, it was very enjoyable. It was certainly a pleasant way of overcoming the library daymare.

Sounds like a nice wine, Otto, and good to hear that you are somewhat back on the road again.
Cheers,
/Anders
PS. Thanks for making me learn the term "man flu"

Marc Brédif Chinon 2008 weighs in at 12,5% and has 5g/l acidity (and only 20% goes through malo - is it common that reds see so little malo?

Otto, as far as I know it is not common; the effects of malo on a red wine are not as obvious as they are on a white and the consequences of secondary fermentation taking place in the bottle are severe enough that most winemakers either allow spontaneous malo or induce it by adding bacteria in order to promote stability after bottling. Whites that go through only partial (or no) malo are generally rendered bottle-stable through some combination of sterile filtration and extra pre-bottling dose of sulfites, the main reason sulfite levels tend to be higher in whites than in reds. I ran across the data sheet for the 2007 vintage of this wine on the web and although it's not specified, it sounds like it went through full malo. It would be interesting to learn why the producer made this particular choice on the 2008.

Mark, thanks, I wonder what, then, was the reason Brédif did only partial malo on this wine? That said, it didn't seem at all too malic to me, so I'm not complaining about the decision.