WTN: 2005 Catherine et Pierre Breton Chinon Beaumont

Among a bunch of wines, this gem stood out. Groovy wine. Very Chinon. Starting to lose the hard edges with lovely structured CF fruit. In a nice place, but will be amazing in 5 yrs.

Gregg: So your reco is to age significantly this Beaumont bottling? The young woman at Kermit Lynch implied they were early drinkers? No experience with aging Loire reds, so...

Brian - I think I need to edit my projection. This was bottled using a neo-cork. It held up well, but it could be a stretch to hold on another 5 yrs. In terms of the Beaumont, my understanding is the vines are not as old as some other holdings/bottlings, so it may not be as long lived as others. Were this bottles with natural cork, I wouldn't hesitate to hold it for 5+ yrs. There are many Loire reds that age gracefully. The Breton and Baudry wines come to mind, both the Chinons and Burgueils.