Domaine de la Noblaie 2024 Chinon Le Temps des Cerises 750ml

Le Temps des Cerises comes from Domaine de la Noblaie, a family estate on the left bank of the Vienne, farmed by Jérôme Billard and Élodie Peyrussie. Jérôme is a genuine third-generation steward of the property — his grandparents, the Manzagol family, originally from Corrèze, purchased the estate for their retirement back in 1952, and his father went on to become professor of oenology at the agricultural college in Montreuil-Bellay. Jérôme himself trained with the celebrated Moueix family in Bordeaux and California, and later in New Zealand, before returning home with a genuinely fresh outlook while maintaining deep respect for the integrity of Chinon's grapes — the estate has farmed organically since 2008.

The domaine's farm sits in the hamlet of Le Vau Breton, a name that, in the era of 15th-century poet Rabelais, literally meant "the Valley of Cabernet Franc" — a genuinely fitting home for an estate now farming 21 hectares, 17 of them planted to exactly that grape. Le Temps des Cerises is a blend of fruit from across all of the estate's vineyards — deliberately not the best parts, as Billard himself explains with real candor: "it comes from the parcels that sometimes have tight tannins, sometimes lower maturity, and younger vines." The wine undergoes spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel and is bottled early, built specifically for immediate, juicy drinking rather than extended cellaring.

Lay & Wheeler's tasting of this exact 2024 vintage found it "such a juicy, inviting delight," with "wonderfully primary floral notes, and Cabernet Franc's structured freshness," calling it "zappy and delicious, and brilliant if served a little chilled." Enoteca Collova's tasting confirms "an intense nose of red fruits," the mouth "round" with "a beautiful silky structure." Chris Kissack of The Wine Doctor sums up Billard's own house style directly: "in his own words, Jérôme Billard looks for a style of Chinon that is correct, ripe and not vegetal but not too tannic. My own experience with the wines suggests this is achieved in spades." This is genuinely joyful, honest, easy-drinking Chinon — real organic craft behind a wine built to be enjoyed young, chilled, and without ceremony.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Domaine de la Noblaie 2024 Chinon Le Temps des Cerises is produced by Jérôme Billard and Élodie Peyrussie at Domaine de la Noblaie, a 24-hectare family estate on the left bank of the Vienne in Chinon, Touraine, in France's Loire Valley. The Manzagol family, Jérôme's grandparents, purchased the property in 1952; Jérôme has farmed organically since 2008, working parcels in Le Vau Breton, historically known as "the Valley of Cabernet Franc."

The wine is made entirely from Cabernet Franc, blended from fruit across all of the estate's vineyard parcels — including younger vines and sites with tighter tannins or lower maturity, rather than the domaine's top plots. Fermentation is spontaneous, in stainless steel, and the wine is bottled early. Bottled at 12.5% ABV, 750ml.

Critics Reviews

Lay & Wheeler (extended tasting note, this exact 2024 vintage):
"This is such a juicy, inviting delight. It has wonderfully primary floral notes, and Cabernet Franc's structured freshness. Zappy and delicious, and brilliant if served a little chilled."

Enoteca Collova (extended tasting note, this exact 2024 vintage):
"Coming from the harmonious blend of clay and limestone soils, this Chinon opens with an intense nose of red fruits. The round mouth has a beautiful silky structure."

Chris Kissack, The Wine Doctor (house-style context):
"In his own words, Jérôme Billard looks for a style of chinon that is correct, ripe and not vegetal but not too tannic. My own experience with the wines suggests this is achieved in spades."

Jérôme Billard, Domaine de la Noblaie:
"It comes from the parcels that sometimes have tight tannins, sometimes lower maturity, and younger vines."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Intense red fruit leads, with wonderfully primary floral notes.

Palate
Juicy and inviting, with Cabernet Franc's structured freshness carrying real energy, developing a round, beautiful silky structure.

Finish
Zappy and delicious, closing bright and fresh — genuinely built for immediate, chilled enjoyment.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Red meat
• Duck breast
• Cheeses
• Light, everyday Loire Valley fare

Serving Note

Best served at 16-18°C, ideally slightly chilled, decanted 20 minutes before tasting.