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Olga Raffault, back in her day, secured for herself over her long winemaking career a particularly rarified place in the wine world. And now, four generations later, old-school sommeliers still idolize her wines for their propensity to gracefully age, and for the family’s impressive longevity in the Loire Valley.

What makes a Raffault Chinon so special? Well, it’s a confluence of factors, really. The Les Picasses vineyard stands out from the rest of the appellation with vines aged well over 70 that sit on one of the steepest slopes in the appellation that runs straight up from the Loire riverbank. The vineyard is on alluvial clay with a chalk limestone base, creating Cabernet Franc that is uniquely expressive of dark fruits, red currants and black cherries with pronounced iron-y mineral and the kind of crystalline acidity that allows the wine to age effortlessly despite a relative lack of tannin.

Made very traditionally, aged in old wood for two years and aged in the bottle for several more, the wine from Les Picasses often has a light garnet color that belies its depth of fruit flavor and remarkable complexity. Its style is rustic and quite earthy, with hints of orange zest, tobacco and a deep, dark cherry flavor. The tannins are soft, but omnipresent, and the mineral complexity and hint of black pepper in the finish is a hallmark. Yummy, cellar-able and the perfect wine for whatever you please to serve alongside.

Still one of the world’s great values in Cabernet Franc, and, at six years past the harvest, it’s perfect!