cabernet franc from the loire valley & finger lakes: a comparative tasting
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CABERNET FRANC FROM THE LOIRE VALLEY &
FINGER LAKES: A COMPARATIVE TASTING
THE LOIRE VALLEY: THE GARDEN OF FRANCE
BOURGEUIL&CHINON: MEDIEVAL GREATNESS
CHATEAU D’AZAY-LE-RIDEAU: GUARDING CHINON
BOURGEUIL&CHINON : ROLLING HILLSIDE VINES
BOURGEUIL&CHINON : ROLLING HILLSIDE VINES
WHERE IS THE LOIRE VALLEY?
LOIRE VALLEY SUB-REGIONS
GRAPES OF THE LOIRE VALLEY
CHINON, BOURGEUIL&ST-NICOLAS DE BOURGEUIL
LOIRE VALLEY FACTS & HISTORY
• Considered The Garden of France for its agricultural
richness: 185,000 vineyard acres
• France’s longest river (600 miles+), headwaters in the
Massif Central to its mouth on the Atlantic Coast
• Viticulture dates back to the 1st Century AD
• During the Middle Ages, wines of the Loire Valley were
more highly-regarded than those of Bordeaux or
Burgundy
• In the late-19th Century, the region was crippled by
Phylloxera& the Industrial Revolution
• Today, there is an incredible diversity of red, white,
dessert & sparkling wine styles
FOCUS ON TOURAINE
• TOURAINE: the greatest red wine region of the Loire,
focus on Cabernet Franc (a.k.a. Breton)
• REDS: Chinon, Bourgeuil, St-Nicolas de Bourgeuil
• WHITES: Vouvray, Cheverny, Montlouis-sur-Loire
• Viticulture dates back to the 1st Century AD
• During the Middle Ages, wines of the Loire Valley were
more highly-regarded than those of Bordeaux or
Burgundy
• In the late-19th Century, the region was crippled by
Phylloxera& the Industrial Revolution
• Today, there is incredible diversity of red, white &
sparkling wine styles
FOCUS ON TOURAINE
• TOURAINE: Latitude 47.25° (FLX is 42.76°)
• Touraine is 300 feet above Sea Level (FLX over 400 feet)
• Annual Rainfall: 27 inches (FLX is closer to 40 inches)
• July Mean Temperature: 67° Fahrenheit (similar to FLX)
• Loire River serves to temper the continental climate
• Chief Viticultural Hazards: Under-ripeness & Fungal
Disease
• Cabernet Franc: red & dark fruit characteristics (though
more in the “Pinot” spectrum), herbal tones, bright
acidity & firm tannins
TOURAINE TERROIR
TOURAINE TERROIR
• SOIL: Tuffeau, Clay, Varennes
• TUFFEAU: marine sedimentary rock (fossilized sea life &
sand), common on the limestone south-facing slopes,
typically the most promising for deep/age-worthy wines
• VARENNES:sandy, alluvial soil closest to the banks of the
Vienne River
• CHINON & BOURGEUIL – division between
Tuffeau&Varennes soil types
• ST-NICOLAS DE BOURGEUIL – primarily Varennes (lending
a lighter/brighter character to the wines overall)
CABERNET FRANC TASTING BREAK-DOWN
LOIRE VALLEY - 6 WINES
#1 - FREDERIC MABILEAU LES ROUILLÈRESST-NICOLAS DE BOURGEUIL 2009
#2 - CATHERINE & PIERRE BRETON BOURGEUILCLOS SÉNÉCHAL 2010
#3 - PHILIPPE ALLIET CHINONVIEILLES VIGNES 2010
#4 - CHARLES JOGUET CHINONCUVÉE DE LA CURE 2009
#5 - OLGA RAFFAULT CHINONLES PICASSES 2007
#6 - OLGA RAFFAULT CHINONLES PICASSES 2002
FINGER LAKES - 4WINES
#1 - RED NEWT CELLARS CABERNET FRANC 2010
#2 - FOX RUN CABERNET FRANC 2010
#3 - DAMIANI CABERNET FRANC RESERVE 2010
#4 - BLOOMER CREEK CABERNET FRANC 2007
#1 - FREDERIC MABILEAU LES ROUILLÈRESST-NICOLAS DE BOURGEUIL 2009
• Sand & Gravel Varennes Soil
• 35-year-old Cabernet Franc vines, nearly 70 acres under vine, founded 1991
• Yield: approx. 2.5 tons/acre, manual harvesting
• Les Rouillèresis his original 50 acre site
• Converting to organics since 2007
• Cold maceration (10 days) in stainless steel, pumping-over (no punching-down), bottled in the spring following harvest, seeking a decidedly fresh/bright style
• 2009 Vintage – a generous, warm & long vintage for the Loire Valley, great ripeness
• $20 RETAIL
#2 - CATHERINE & PIERRE BRETON BOURGEUIL CLOS SÉNÉCHAL 2010
• Husband & Wife Team, founded 1982
• Organic since 1991, introducing biodynamic practices since 1994
• Nearly 30 acres under vine (including a touch of Chenin Blanc), produce 6,700cs
• ClosSénéchal – parcel of Clay soil over Tuffeau, one of their top 2 wines, 40 year old Cabernet Franc, 3-acre site
• Maceration in open wood vats, fermentation & aging in old foudres, bottled without fining/filtering after 18 months, little to no sulfites added
• 2010 Vintage – warm, dry & consistent, great ripeness like 2009, though a bit more acidity/freshness retained
• $30 RETAIL
#3 - PHILIPPE ALLIET CHINON VIEILLES VIGNES 2010
• Took over family domaine in 1978
• Inspired by great reds of Bordeaux & Burgundy, seeking “cleaner” style
• Practicing lutteraisonnée (“reasoned struggle”); no chemical treatments
• 60 year old Cabernet Franc Vines, from a gravel/sand-rich Varennessite, 2 tons/acre
• Manual harvest, 100% destemmed, cement tank vinification for 3-4 weeks
• 18 months’ aging in 5 year old barrels bought from Chateau Latour&Margaux
• $30 RETAIL
#4 - CHARLES JOGUET CHINON CUVÉE DE LA CURE 2009
• Domaine founded 1957
• Charles realized the specificity of the various terroirs his family owned and pioneered single-vineyard bottlings in Chinon, inspired by the Crus of Burgundy
• Practicing lutteraisonnée (“reasoned struggle”); no chemical treatments
• 35 year old Cabernet Franc Vines, from a gravel/clay-rich 5-acre site
• Manual harvest, 100% de-stemmed, 5-day cold maceration, 15-day ferment
• Malolactic fermentation followed by 12 months’ aging in 4-year old barrels
• $25 RETAIL
#6 - OLGA RAFFAULT CHINON LES PICASSES 2007 & 2002
• Domaine is 4 generations old, Olga’s granddaughter Sylvie currently runs it
• Exceptional terroirs, in particular the 50-year old Les Picasses Cabernet Franc vineyard, planted on a site of alluvial clay with Tuffeau base
• Practicing lutteraisonnée (“reasoned struggle”); no chemical treatments
• Manual harvest, 25-30 maceration/fermentation in stainless steel, followed by 2-3 years’ aging in older oak barrels
• 2007 Vintage: somewhat inconsistent, cool summer, warm September - $25 RETAIL
• 2002 Vintage: warm/generous vintage overall, above-average - $30 RETAIL
#1 - RED NEWT CELLARS CABERNET FRANC 2010
• For red varietals, a focus on Cabernet Franc
• 10% Whole-Cluster Fermentation in Stainless Steel
• Producing several single-vineyard expressions, as well as this non-reserve Cabernet Franc
• Punch-downs by hand, aging in new & older American Oak barrels
• 600 cases produced
• Smaller production of Single-Vineyard Cab Francs
• $20 RETAIL
#2 - FOX RUN CABERNET FRANC 2010
• Cabernet Franc from Blocks 6 & 8, Seneca Lake West Side
• Harvested October 2nd& 18th, 21.8-22.7 Brix
• Machine-harvest, crushed into open-top steel fermenters
• Mixture of French & American Oak barrels aging for 15 months (bottled June 2011)
• 200 cases produced
• $20 RETAIL
#3 - DAMIANI CABERNET FRANC RESERVE 2010
• 4-barrel selection of Cabernet Franc, fruit from the Damiani Vineyard (Seneca Lake, East Side)
• Harvested at 25.4 Brix
• Aged in 20% New American Oak for 3 months
• Followed by 80% 1yr Old French Oak barrels (total cellaring 9 months)
• $40 RETAIL
#4 - BLOOMER CREEK CABERNET FRANC 2007
• Cabernet Franc from Ovid: Morehouse Road Vineyard (15 year old vines) &AutenVineyard (20 year old vines)
• Some spontaneous fermentation, some induced fermentation, all open-top; 1-2 week macerations (partial stem inclusion)
• Mixture of barrels, mainly French oak, aging until July 2008
• Bottled with no stirring or racking, light filtration
• $20 RETAIL
CABERNET FRANC TASTING BREAK-DOWN
LOIRE VALLEY - 6 WINES
#1 - FREDERIC MABILEAU LES ROUILLÈRESST-NICOLAS DE BOURGEUIL 2009
#2 - CATHERINE & PIERRE BRETON BOURGEUILCLOS SÉNÉCHAL 2010
#3 - PHILIPPE ALLIET CHINONVIEILLES VIGNES 2010
#4 - CHARLES JOGUET CHINONCUVÉE DE LA CURE 2009
#5 - OLGA RAFFAULT CHINONLES PICASSES 2007
#6 - OLGA RAFFAULT CHINONLES PICASSES 2002
FINGER LAKES - 4WINES
#1 - RED NEWT CELLARS CABERNET FRANC 2010
#2 - FOX RUN CABERNET FRANC 2010
#3 - DAMIANI CABERNET FRANC RESERVE 2010
#4 - BLOOMER CREEK CABERNET FRANC 2007
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