Château de la Bonnelière, Le Clos de la Bonnelière, Chinon, 2014

Winemaker Marc Plouzeau, owner and face of Château de la Bonnelière, took over this 1848 château in 1988, adapting methods to bring a more natural approach to the wines. On the left bank of the Vienne, this 30ha estate produces a huge range of Cabernet Francs. The soils are divided into three specific types: clay-limestone, flint and gravel, all of which provide this estate’s unique characteristics. Le Clos de la Bonnelière is created from 35-year-old vines which thrive on a clay-limestone plot. Jim Budd: Smoky aromas with some notes of liquorice, finesse and charm, length. Ready to drink now but potential to age. Very attractive wine. Chris Kissack: Fire embers and toast on the nose. Sweet red cherry and redcurrant, with chalky, perfumed vanillin notes coming through on the palate, dry and distinct. Bold, grippy with a long finish, lots of tannic structure. Ben Llewelyn: Dense and brooding, albeit with mineral fruit underpinning the palate. There’s a lovely freshness to this. A good wine with characters of both vintage and terroir.