GRAPE VARIETAL
100% Cabernet Franc from ~25-year-old vines.
APPELLATION
Chinon AOP (Loire Valley, France).
TERROIR
Primarily limestone with gravel and flinty clay, plus small sandy pockets; fruit drawn from the Maisons Bordeaux, Grèzeaux, and Granges parcels.
VINIFICATION
Destemmed fruit fermented in concrete, with alcoholic and malolactic fermentations running over ~3 weeks; aged 7 months in cement and bottled in February 2024 (12.5% ABV; ~250 cases).
TASTING NOTES
Fresh red-berry profile (strawberry, raspberry) with a light, mineral frame and lively acidity; hints of citrus peel keep the finish precise.
FOOD PAIRING
Goat-cheese tarts, seasonal vegetable pasta, and chicken salads are spot-on matches; serve well-chilled.
Chinon sits in the central Loire Valley, a patchwork of river terraces and limestone banks best known for Cabernet Franc. While most folks think of Chinon as red-wine country, the appellation also turns out quietly excellent pinks that lean on the same grape, shaped by cool nights, mixed soils, and a long growing season that preserves detail without sacrificing flavor.
Domaine du Fossile farms six hectares at the heart of Chinon, centered around the hamlet of Cravant, about ten minutes from the village itself. The estate is certified organic in practice—no chemicals here—and everything is harvested by hand. Vines range from roughly 25 to 70 years old, and the neighbors include Chinon stalwart Bernard Baudry, whose proximity and friendship have helped shape the domaine’s steady, low-intervention approach.
The soils here are a mix that suits Cabernet Franc: gravel for lift, sand for ease, clay for depth, and limestone—the “fossil” in the name—for line and structure. The 2024 Domaine du Fossile Chinon Rosé is 100% Cabernet Franc from these sites, pressed directly, fermented with ambient yeasts in stainless steel, and bottled without re-introducing the small shot of red wine that some producers use for color. Production is tiny: about 250 cases, yet the price somehow stays Tuesday night friendly.
Vineyard in Chinon, looking towards the village — AWM 2018 Buying Trip to France
In your glass, it’s a lovely melange of redcurrant and wild strawberry, with a thread of pink grapefruit rind, and gentle whispers of fresh herbs. The palate is dry and neatly shaped, with a gentle, lees-derived cushion through the middle and a pleasantly chalky snap on the finish.
For pairings, we love this with classic Loire fare: goat cheese tart with fresh herbs, trout or salmon off the grill, niçoise-style salads, roast chicken, and of course, charcuterie. Then push the culinary boundaries a little and enjoy it with bánh mì with pickled veg and cilantro, watermelon-feta-mint salad, smoked-trout rillettes on toast, sesame-ginger soba with cucumber, or harissa-rubbed chicken thighs.