In the glass
Aroma: blackcurrant, cedar, sweet spice, tobacco
Palate: dark berry, chalky tannin, vanilla, long graphite finish
Couly-Dutheil's prestige cuvee from the best clay-limestone parcels of Clos de l'Echo. Heavily barriqued, structured for long ageing, with cedar, sweet spice and a chalky graphite finish.
What it pairs with
-
Roast rib of beef with bordelaise sauce
Rich beef and red-wine reduction meet the wine's full body and cedar register. -
Truffled poularde de Bresse
Truffle and the wine's spice-and-cedar register align elegantly. -
Mature Mimolette with quince paste
Hard cheese and the wine's chalky tannin grip are mutually flattering.
History
Crescendo is Couly-Dutheil's barrique-aged prestige cuvee, drawn from the best parcels within Clos de l'Echo and other top sites. Introduced in 1995 to anchor the upper end of the Chinon range.
- 1995 — First vintage of Crescendo
Facts
- Producer
- Couly-Dutheil
- Grapes
- Cabernet Franc (100%)
- Classification
- Chinon AOC
- Oak
- 16 to 18 months in oak barriques, around 50 percent new
- ABV
- 13.5%
- Price
- EUR 30 to 50 at retail
- Drinking window
- 10 to 25 from vintage
- First vintage
- 1995
- Organic
- ORGANIC CERTIFIED
- Vegan
- Yes (no animal-derived fining)
Scores
- Wine Advocate 92 (2018 vintage, reviewed 2020)
Frequently asked about Crescendo
What does Crescendo taste like?
Blackcurrant, cedar, sweet spice and tobacco on the nose; dark berry, chalky tannin, vanilla and a long graphite finish on the palate. Full-bodied with firm tannins and high acidity.
When should I drink Crescendo?
Drink between 10 and 25 years from vintage. Decant 90 minutes for young vintages; the new oak rewards a decade of bottle age.
What food pairs with Crescendo?
Roast rib of beef with bordelaise sauce, truffled poularde de Bresse, and mature Mimolette with quince paste are all canonical matches.
How long is Crescendo aged?
16 to 18 months in oak barriques with around 50 percent new oak, the most heavily barriqued cuvee in the Couly-Dutheil range.