cabernet franc from the loire valley & finger lakes: a comparative tasting

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

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


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


• 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


• 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


• 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


• 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


• 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


• 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


• 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


#2 - CATHERINE & PIERRE BRETON BOURGEUILCLOS SÉNÉCHAL 2010

#3 - PHILIPPE ALLIET CHINONVIEILLES VIGNES 2010

#4 - CHARLES JOGUET CHINONCUVÉE DE LA CURE 2009



FINGER LAKES - 4WINES





cabernet franc from the loire valley & finger lakes: a comparative tasting

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