February 2, 2024 - From 160+ year old vines that survived an attack of Phylloxera in the 1860s.
Ripe wild strawberries, ripe red raspberries, tomato leaf, green tobacco, jalapeno pepper, fresh cracked black pepper on the nose. Medium + intensity of aromas. Smells elegant; then goes insane on the palate which adds fresh cut chives, ripe black cherries, dirt/earth, ripe dark plums and wet stone. What's higher than high intensity of flavors? This has it. Nice lingering finish - it almost lasts a minute.
Medium body with medium + acid and medium lingering tannin. Developing; and going to get even better. Could easily age in the bottle for 10 more years. To me, this is at the top of the quality scale for Loire CF.
March 20, 2023 - Nothing much to add to what I wrote last July - this time I decanted, which speeded up the opening of the wine without detracting from its vibrancy. At the same level as the best Chinons.
October 31, 2022 - This was pretty green and weedy. In some ways, a quintessential loire cabernet franc. It had a lovely perfume, some moderate volatility, but kind of thin in body, surprising for the vintage and the vine age. It's characterful and my table mates loved it, but I was looking for an extra gear that never came.
July 3, 2022 - Quite reticent at first, the nose needed time to unfurl, with spring flowers, lots of dark raspberry, a touch of blueberry, some cranberry and on the finish, dried loam.
Likewise, it wasn't very expressive at first on the palate either, apart from the crunchy red fruit I expected, but it took off after a couple of hours, showing very deep flavours of loganberries, red cherry, wild strawberry, then the redcurrant and cranberry I had been expecting. Very young and fresh still, the finish was a little too sappy, but it just needs time. What I found interesting was that unlike the 2007, this does actually resemble a Chinon - there's an unmistakeable chalkiness to the finish which develops after a while.
Overall, very impressive, with great potential - there's a seamless, effortless charm to this, but also something brooding below the surface, some as yet unresolved power which will ensure it ages beautifully.
May 11, 2020 - Such finesse! What a gorgeous wine. So pure, red-fruited and lithe. Absolutely seamless and drinking very well now, but seems like it has a long plateau ahead of it.
May 6, 2020 - Bright garnet, clean black and red fruit nose, exceptional palate, intense in flavor while light in texture, spicy ripe CF flavors, some herbs but no significant green or oak, medium-long balanced finish. I don't drink enough CF to judge whether the franc de pied aspect is reflected here, but this is certainly a delicious and accomplished wine. Enjoyed with chicken faux cassoulet.
March 6, 2019 - -- popped and poured --
-- tasted non-blind over 2 days --
NOSE: tight; red-fruited; oaky; opened-up after 1.5 hours (more expressive; same notes); stony; light bell pepper. Day 2: rich; dark fruits (darker than on Day 1).
BODY: medium-light to medium bodied; violet-garnet color of medium-deep depth. Medium bodied.
TASTE: medium-fine tannins; oaky; mineral; faint bell pepper; tight fruit; you can tell it's Cabernet Franc, but it is tight and oaky; stony; 12.5% alc. not noticeable; medium acidity; not as oaky as a bottle of the 2013 vintage from a few weeks ago; bell pepper and stony notes more pronounced when paired with steak and a side of mushroom risotto; oak drew-back after 1.5 hours; better than the '13 vintage. Day 2: tannic; still oakier than I'd prefer. Gut impression score: 90 – 91, and that is assuming the oak integrates with time. I suppose I would be willing to try this bottling one more time --- from a "serious" vintage --- before writing it off completely, but the heavy-handed oak treatment on the '12 and the '13 doesn't give me much hope. Due to the heavy oak, this is currently a Hold for me.
February 24, 2019 - Rich, complex and everything that Loire CF should be. Zinging acidity, dark red strawberry and red bell pepper. Long finish with a dusty bit of tannin. Will be great for years.
September 28, 2018 - Ruby colored with beautiful aromas of strawberry and green pepper accompanied by tobacco and floral notes. Savory on the palate with striking minerality and a tannic structure which should give it a long life although it’s approachable now . A Peter Weygandt selection made by Marc Plouzeau from a parcel of 150+ year-old ungrafted vines in Touraine that escaped phylloxera in the 19th century. 12.5% ABV. $40.
March 30, 2018 - Another excellent bottle of this. At $40, this really is a steal. Lots of bright focused red primary fruit. Significant minerality (almost soil like), with herby/peppery notes. Great stuff, long life ahead.