2023 Domaine Beatrice & Pascal Lambert Pur Jus Chinon

“Pur Jus” means “pure juice,” a promise Béatrice and Pascal Lambert keep from vineyard to bottle. Their 2023 cuvée comes from 35-year-old Cabernet Franc rooted in Chinon’s porous tuffeau hills north of the Vienne River. Certified biodynamic since 2012, the domaine hand-picks at first light, then destems and loads whole berries into cement vats. Native yeasts spark an eight-day infusion; gentle remontage coaxes color and silken tannins without extracting bitterness. After a quick pressing, the wine rests six months in concrete eggs, preserving its electric fruit while micro-oxygenation rounds the edges. The result is a feather-light Chinon that races with wild strawberry, sour cherry, and rose-petal perfume, laced with white-pepper spice and a cool, pencil-shaving snap from the limestone. Bottled unfiltered with a wisp of sulfur, it drinks like a Loire river breeze—vivid, bone-dry, and irresistibly glou-glou. Serve slightly chilled and let weeknight dinners bloom into lively bistro moments.

Nose: Fresh raspberry, red-cherry skin, and violet soar above hints of thyme, graphite, and damp stone.

Palate: Crunchy cranberry and pomegranate glide on silky, tea-like tannins, sparked by white pepper and herbal lift.

Finish: Bright, mouth-watering close echoes tart berry, floral spice, and a clean, limestone-mineral edge.

Think Loire bistro classics: pork rillettes spread on baguette, roast chicken with mushroom jus, or chèvre crottin over mixed greens. The wine’s zesty fruit, subtle earth, and refreshing acidity elevate every savory bite.