2018 Pascal et Alain Lorieux Chinon Theleme Loire Valley 750 ml

“You’ve got to taste this.”

We get plenty of texts like that, but few come from respected authors of famous wine books and renowned podcasts like Elizabeth Schneider of Wine for Normal People.

It took weeks to track down the elusive wine in her accompanying iPhone snap, but once the earthy, red-fruited 2018 Pascal et Alain Lorieux Thélème was finally in our glasses, we begged her to hold off on sharing her discovery with her readers until we had secured every bottle we could.

We were just in time. With its 94-point score and #42 spot on Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 of 2020, there was no way this gorgeous Loire Cabernet Franc was going to stick around long enough for the release of our source’s next hardcover—not at its retail price, and especially not at the price we negotiated for Wine Access members.

A deep purple core belies high-intensity red fruit notes of cranberry and red cherry, while earthy matcha tea, wild herbs, violets, sumac, and tobacco are a great reminder of how criminally underappreciated the Loire Valley is for its inimitable reds.

Bright acidity accentuates the fresh tart cherry character on the medium-bodied palate, while the earthy wild herbs make good on their aromatic flirtation alongside a subtle tannic grip, ending on a thrilling cardamom note.

Chinon might be the most beloved region within the wine industry that’s never quite found its mainstream footing. Which is exactly why it remains so irresistible for those who uncover hidden gems like this one from Pascal et Alain Lorieux. By far the richest of the Loire’s regal reds, great Chinons like this 2018 Thélème have a succulence and depth of flavor that is often reminiscent of Right Bank Bordeaux.

Bearing little resemblance, however, is the veritable minefield of serious values that can still be found in the Loire—at least those that haven’t already been gobbled up by the savvy Parisian restaurateurs who get there first.

Alain and Pascal Lorieux are fourth-generation vintners who merged their family’s farms in 1993. Since Alain’s retirement ten years ago, the Thélème—from 50-year-old vines—has become Pascal’s special signature. Along the banks of the Vienne River, Pascal’s clay-limestone tuffeau (tufa) soils are so prized, the family carved their cellar directly into their chalky hillside bedrock. It’s these intractable soils that develop such headily perfumed aromas and silky tannins in their powerfully vibrant wines.

In a follow-up thread with Elizabeth, she mused on “the irony that a Cabernet Franc, which speaks so evocatively of its Chinon birthplace, immediately transports me 150 miles northeast to Le Grand Colbert.” A Parisian brasserie that’s legendary for its poulet rôti—and a spiritual home for wines like this Thélème—her geographic dissonance needed no further explanation.

Dripping with its unmistakable terroir, this 94-point Top 100 Chinon is the kind of effortlessly complex, unbelievably affordable wine sommeliers crave on their days off—and one we’re thrilled we can enjoy whenever we feel like being whisked to Paris for a song.