Domaine de Pallus Chinon Le Clos de Pallus

In the glass, the 2021 Le Clos de Pallus shows a translucent garnet, bright and quietly inviting. The nose opens with raspberry and wild strawberry, followed by violet and red plum, the fruit lifted and precise rather than lush. Beneath it all sits that unmistakable Loire Cabernet Franc signature—crushed green herbs and a faint bell-pepper note—adding freshness and tension rather than greenness.

The palate is nimble and finely etched, driven by sour cherry and red currant, with a cool streak of graphite and wet stone that keeps everything focused. Fresh acidity carries the wine cleanly across the mid-palate, while subtle herbal notes—oregano, thyme— weave into gently textured, fine-grained tannins. It finishes savory and mineral, lingering on herbal spice and chalky limestone, a clear, articulate expression of Chinon that feels both grounded and quietly expressive.