Coteau de Noiré

I tried this beautiful Chinon recently, at the suggestion of my friend, Aaron Sagendorf, the wine manager at Smith & Wollensky in NYC.

Aaron is a big proponent of trying lighter, less alcoholic wines with heavier meals, like steak dinners, because we would all love to stay awake for the duration of the experience and THEY’RE DELICIOUS.

This wine was a hit with everyone at the table, because while it’s a lighter Cabernet Franc, it had that inky, more opaque color that people love with a steak.
(Note: Chinon wines are French wines from the Loire Valley that are made with Cabernet Franc grapes.)

This wine is a 2022 Chinon from Philippe Alliet and it was stunning! It had nice power and incredibly refined tannins for a wine that’s just three years old. It was beautiful with a ribeye and also terrific with a little chunk of Parmigiano Reggiano that our awesome server, Mike, slipped on the table for me. I'd love to taste this again in 5 years. It has nice power for a Cab Franc, which to me, is exactly what you're looking for when you're ordering a CF to go with meat.

Philippe Alliet is a name to know for 100% Cab Franc wines. They’re celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2025. Philippe’s son, Pierre, is now at the helm, producing wines made in mostly old oak barrels with longer aging, which makes them easy to drink right away and even better to keep. They also practice organic farming.

The Coteau de Noiré is considered THE best plot of vines in ALL of Chinon. How about them grapes?!

It’s available now for $39.94 from Saratoga Wine.

Chin!