Chinon de Dioterie, Charles Joguet 1998

Again, 1998 is supposed to be the down period at the Joguet domaine, but this bottle of Clos de la Dioterie was quite tasty. The bouquet is quite attractive as it closes in on its tenth birthday, and delivers a mélange of bitter cherry, tree bark, cigar smoke, espresso and a complex base of soil. On the palate the wine is medium-full, complex and focused, with only moderate mid-palate depth for this particular cuvée, but excellent length and grip on the well-balanced finish. Perhaps this does not possess quite the amplitude of this bottling in the estate’s prime, but it is a classy and complex bottle of Chinon that certainly does not disappoint. (Drink between 2007-2015)