Attention all Cabernet Franc lovers.  I have to confess that winemaker Nicolas Pointeau’s wines do not represent the state of the art in the Loire Valley.  They are made in a straightforward, old-fashioned manner with virtually no intervention.  They’re fermented cool, aged in steel tank and bottled without any fining, filtration or other messing around.  It’s not an over-thought or overplayed version and, instead, its simplicity results in a level of purity and character over which lovers of Cabernet Franc will surely swoon.  And at a great value.  It’s delicious!  Just the right texture (not heavy or ponderous, but not light and overly lacy either), it’s gravelly, loamy, nicely herbal and thoroughly charming. 

Nicolas’ vineyards in Chinon are largely on alluvial soils with some on shallow topsoil above tuffeau limestone bedrock. The alluvial soil helps create a wine with a little less obvious brittle acidity and just a bit more palate roundness without sliding into softness or blandness. Thanks to its relatively cooler location, it’s much less ‘sunshiny ripe’ than some Cabernet Franc-based wines from further south in western France. 

While I hate trying to sell a wine by telling you what it’s not, I can say it is one of the most engaging, accessible reds we’ve seen this year. And change back from your $20!