Synopsis, Our Opinion: Great Cab Franc that was a real treat.
Producer/Winery: Thierry Bouchard; Domaine de La Chanteleuserie; Benais, France.
Grape Variety: Cabernet Franc.
Geographic Appellation: Bourgueil; Loire Valley, France.
Vintage: 2014
Price: $17.10 (with a 10% mixed case discount)
Purchased From: The Caviste Wine Shop; Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Paired With: Swedish meatballs in Béchamel sauce with sour cream flavored with dill, Worcestershire sauce and nutmeg; rice and broccoli; dark chocolate for dessert.
Tasting:
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Opened one hour before drinking. Dark purple with a lighter rim. WOW, right off the bat we could smell the fresh bell peppers…along with damp earth, ripe cherry and cinnamon aromas with a constant background of mushrooms cooking on the stove. Soft entry, medium body; prominent cherry and freshly made red current jelly flavors. Than just before the end of the finish a strong dusty mineral taste developed that takes it through the long spicy finish. WOW this is a wine that made two DRAMATIC changes. First on the initial pour there was a scratchiness at the back of the throat from the alcohol that completely disappeared and second on the first couple of sips the flavors were somewhat muted, but after that every sip had distinct earthy fruit flavors that became an avalanche of delicious tastes. So what do we think of this wine…we really enjoyed it and what a FANTASTIC Cabernet Franc it was. A quality wine and we loved the strong tart cherry and current taste and irresistible earthy aromas. Great Cab Franc that was a real treat, but we’ll decant the next bottle!!!
Photo from Domaine de La Chanteleuserie.
See also: Our TastedOnLine.com Mini Judgement of Paris Wine Tasting and see how this wine stood up against a “New World” Cabernet Franc.
Alcohol Content: 13%
Closure: Natural cork.
UPC Code: 7 61503 51524 7
Imported by: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant; Berkeley, California.