2008 Chateau de la Bonneliere CHINON (Loire Valley, France)

An excellent and relatively value-priced Cab Franc.  Intensely flavored, yet balanced and medium weight.

Intensely vibrant dark ruby.  Tight, dry earthy nose at first, but after substantial air gobs of ripe cherry and blackberry fruit emerge along with a sweet, high-toned smokiness and some chalky minerality.  Medium-bodied, but with great fruit presence and texture.  Loads of ripe but dry black cherry fruit and a hint of brambly earthiness.  Fantastic balance.  A-.  Will age nicely for another 2-4 years.  Imported by Weygandt-Metzler, this wine was around $16-18 I think, but I can't remember exactly where I got it.

2007 Catherine & Pierre Breton BOURGUEIL "Les Galichets" (Loire Valley, France)

A lighter, more terroir-driven style of Cab Franc than I usually go for, but I liked it a lot. Unfiltered and made from organically grown grapes.

Very dark, clear black ruby with a bit of youthful violet highlighting remaining. Interesting nose of smoky caramel, dry underbrush, black cherry, licorice, and the classic Cab Franc "mineral oil" scents. Round, soft-textured, and vibrant in the mouth, with crisp acids and dark cherry fruit accompanied by a woodsy note. Medium-light bodied, with a pure, crisp, but lengthy finish. It went really nicely with baked macaroni with cheese. Might not be everyone's style, but I was very happy with it. B+. Imported by Louis Dressner Selections, I got this for $25 from Zachys.com in Scarsdale.

2006 Domaine Gouron CHINON "Terroir" (Loire Valley, France)

A classic Cab Franc from Chinon. It's a style of wine that really takes awhile to develop a taste for, but it has slowly grown on me over the last 10 years and I find it pairs with lots of foods. I had this with nicely-browned pork chops finished in a white wine, mustard and cream sauce.

Dark, charcoalish ruby. Closed, tight, and earthy the first day. After three days in a Vacu-Vin closure, it was superb. (Would it be sacrilegious to say that on the third day, it rose?) Fragrant nose of black cherry, cherry cake icing, toasted walnut oil, and burning fall leaves. Ripe, dark cherry fruit, with crisp, refreshing acidity and a fair amount of chalky tannin. This wine will improve over the next two years or so. 88+. Imported by Massanois Imports (a Francks Signature Wines selection). Was about $15 from Zachys in NY, making it an excellent value.

2005 Thierry Germain "Domaine des Roches Neuves" SAUMUR CHAMPIGNY (Loire Valley, France)

This organic (biodynamic, actually) Cabernet Franc-based wine was very elegant and distinctive. Like most Loire Valley Cab Francs, however, its unique aromas and flavors may not be for everybody.

Very dark ruby garnet. Laid-back aromas of toasted walnut, melted caramel, blackberry/cassis fruit, mineral oil, and smoky embers. Soft in texture, bone dry, with cassis and mineral oil flavors. Nicely-balanced, fully mature. Went well with post-Thanksgiving hot turkey and gravy sandwiches. 87. Imported by Jon David Headrick Selections. $16 at Zachys.com (New York).

2007 Bernard Baudry CHINON "Les Granges" (Loire Valley, France)

A unique (totally organic) Cabernet Franc from this idiosyncratic appellation. I liked it, but it's not a wine for the masses.

Black garnet with ruby highlights.

Day 1 the nose had loads of farm-fresh, sweet manure scents amidst smoky machine oil and tangy forest berries. Day 2 was much more normal, with lots of crisp cherry fruit and minerals. So give this guy plenty of air if the manure thing isn't for you.

Bone dry in the mouth, but with lots of lean flavors of dry cassis extract and mineral oil. Long, lean finish, with medium body and very good acidity. 86.

Was $17 and change at Spec's on Smith several months ago, so I don't know if they still have it. A Louis/Dressner Selection.

2006 Domaine de Pallus CHINON "Les Pensees de Pallus" (Loire, France)

An excellent, traditional Cabernet Franc from the Loire. As with most Cabernet Franc wines from this region, this wine presents a flavor profile that may be outside the norm for those raised on really ripe California and Australian reds. I like it a lot, but it's one of those wines I have to specifically be in the mood for (and be cooking some sort of Frenchy-type chicken dish for it to accompany).

Dark, blackish ruby. Nose of fragrant, smoky embers, black cherries, machine oil, and loads of minerals. Mouthfilling and densely-flavored, yet with moderate alcohol. Flavors envelope the mouth and then linger -- bone dry black cherry and blackberry extracts, minerals and more minerals, and a freshly-fallen forest leaves component. Tremendous length, and good structure provided by loads of soft tannin. Outstanding. 90. Imported by the Rare Wine Company, Cal. About $21 at Spec's on Smith.

2007 Domaine de la Chanteleuserie BOURGEUIL "Cuvee Alouettes" (Loire Valley, France)

A lighter, leaner style of Cabernet France. Went very well with a simple roast chicken.

Light, bright, crystalline ruby. High-toned nose of herby cassis, dried leaves, and machine oil. Bone dry and lively flavors of liquid minerals and cherry skins, with light body and terrific acidity. Very food-friendly. Finish is long, but light, lean, and dry. 86. Was $19.99 at Houston Wine Merchant (South Shepherd). Imported by Kermit Lynch.

Coupla Interesting Reds Drunk in Virginia

Was in DC for a deposition, had dinner with Liz's family there (thanks for the great pot roast, Jane!), and brought over a couple of interesting reds I picked up at Arrowine in Arlington (a store I love to visit when I'm in town).

2005 Domaine du Bel Air BOURGUEIL "Les Vingt Lieux Dits" (Loire Valley, France) -- a beautifully fragrant, flavorful, yet ethereally light-textured red, with scents of herby cassis and walnut oil and great length and balance. (Thomas Calder Imports). (Sorry, 2006 shown).

2006 Inama Carmenere "Piu" (Veneto, Italy) -- the French-born Carmenere grape isn't grown in France anymore, and probably reached its highest expression in Chile, but there are a few growers in this region of Italy that grow it. Herbal, dried leaves and dry blackberry scents. Full, deep, and featuring a fair amount of soft tannin, this wine had lengthy, low-toned flavors. Unique and flavorful. Imported by Dalla Terra Winery Direct.

2005 Gerard Valee ST. NICOLAS DE BOURGUEIL "Les Perruches" (Loire Valley, France)

This wine was loaded with character. Not for everyone, but very good!

Dark blackish garnet. Intense nose of walnut oil/machine oil, tree bark, and black cherry skins. Bone dry, yet with concentrated, razor-sharp, focused and low-toned flavors of dark minerals and dry blackberry extract, with a hint of iodine. Excellent length, with some substantial yet soft tannin to provide structure. 88. Was $21 direct from North Berkeley Imports. (Yes, there have been a lot of North Berkeley wines on the blog recently. Yes, I bought a mixed case from them and am working through it.)

2005 Domaine Charles Joguet CHINON "Cuvee Terroir" (Loire Valley, France)

This was a TERRIFIC Cabernet Franc red from the Loire. Lots of character, flavor, and ageing potential.

Eye: Extremely saturated black mulberry color.

Nose: Ripe, complex nose of blackberry, smoky embers, baking spices, and intense, stony minerality.

Mouth: Concentrated, ripe, and tannic, with surprisingly full body (for a wine from this northerly, cool region) and unsurprisingly good acidity. Youthful flavors of ripe cassis and blackberry, with, again, lots of stony minerality.

Score: 90+

Cellar or drink? Although enjoyable now, this wine will clearly be better in 2-4 years.

Price/store: Was $22.99 at Houston Wine Merchant (on South Shepherd).

2006 Frederic Mabileau ST. NICOLAS DE BOURGUEIL "La Boullieres" (Loire Valley, France)

I really like the 2005 version, reviewed previously, of this French Cabernet Franc, and the 2006, while good, was just short of the level of the 2005.

Eye: Medium dark crystalline ruby color.

Nose: Bright but still seemingly reductive aromas of minerally cherries and brambles, with a pungent mineral oil note.

Mouth: Light to medium bodied, with linear flavors of crisp, dry cherry syrup and pungent minerals. Fairly long finish, with a slightly bitterish note at the end. No real tannin to speak of.

Score: 85.

Cellar or drink? I would bet that another year or two in the cellar would result in a change in the flavor profile toward the more openly fruity and less pungent end of the spectrum.

Price/store: Was $16.99 at Central Market in Austin.

2005 Domaine du Grand Bréviande CHINON (Loire Valley, France)

This was a balanced, elegant-styled red. With just a touch more ripeness, this would have been really good.

Eye: Very dark black ruby.

Nose: Shy, but interesting -- charred meat, black cherry, and minerals.


Mouth: Soft, but concentrated. Nice balance too, featuring cassis and mineral oil flavors, with a slightly bitter undercurrent of brambly twigs.

Cellar or drink? The tight core of fruit and the balance says to me that this wine can age and improve for a few years.

Score: 87.


Price/store: Got this at Central Market for about $16.

2005 Domaine du Bouqueteau CHINON (Loire, France)

Just when I finish a post about how unusually ripe the 2005 Loire reds are , I get an unripe one. Figures.

This 100% Cabernet Franc was too unripe and vegetal for my taste.

Dark black ruby color. Interesting but not altogether pleasant nose. On the good side, there were some nice cherry and underbrush scents. On the bad side, there was a persistent vegetal (bell peppers and green beans). Surprisingly full and concentrated given its unripeness. Soft-textured as well, but the overriding impression is that of the unripe flavors. With several hours of air the vegetal scents receded just a tad, but still was disappointing. 79. I believe this was about $14 at Central Market.

2005 Frederic Mabileau ST. NICOLAS DE BOURGUEIL "Les Roullieres" (Loire Valley, France)

2005 looks to have been a terrific year for the Cabernet Franc-based reds (Chinon, St. Nicolas de Bourgueil) of the Loire Valley. This is a region where, traditionally, the reds struggled (not always succesfully) to fully ripen. But one convenient truth about global warming is that recently, this region has experienced warmer summers, and, consequently, the reds have been more consistent (and good!). There are still many good reds under $20 to try, and I have a few in my wine closet I'm going to be opening in the next few weeks.

This one is very good -- lots of flavor but with alcohol levels much lower than reds from other regions around the world. The lower alcohol levels create a really elegant, almost ethereal mouthfeel.

Black ruby color with bright purple highlights. Medium intensity but gorgeously perfumey nose of black cherries, stony minerals, and a briary/walnut-oily scent in the background. Concentrated and bright, with flavors of dry cassis extract and briary underbrush. Very light-feeling in the mouth, but with good concentration nonetheless. Long, balanced, lithe finish. Very distinctive. 88. Was $16.99 at Central Market.