March 28, 2022 - Dark fruit (plum and cassis), earth, a little barnyard funk, a pleasant hint of CF pyrazines on finish. Not just held up well, offering some complexity and has room to go. B+/A-
January 14, 2022 - Wow, very nice aged Cabernet Franc. What a nice pull from the ‘cellar’, and a great value. Yum.
April 1, 2020 - This is still surprisingly youthful with primary fruit and tannic structure. Very earthy, forest floor and some funk mixed with big dark berries. No sign of fading. Great value.
September 9, 2015 - Wow - the best guion I've had - guess it takes 10 yrs for this to really come together. And tastes young - what an insane bargain - it's just delicious - no formal note but inky black, raspberry and blueberry on the nose with some nice wildness and funk (loved it) - great acidic thrust and a decent amount of tannins that opened up beautifully. Very impressive showing.
July 7, 2015 - Opens to a good deal of funk on the nose which tames with air. On the palate, red and blue fruit, herbs and green pepper, lots of earth, and some minerality. Approachable but grippy, plentiful tannin, and good deal of acid. Even better with an hour or two of air. Very nice wine. Sadly, not a very long finish, with a bit of bitterness, but that's a minor gripe for an unbelievable value ($8 at auction? WHAT?). Drinking nicely, but no hurry as there is plenty of structure to hold for several more years.
November 26, 2014 - Very barnyard, initially dominating all else, but receding some after 24 hours. Medium-bodied. Mostly sour cherry, earth, and funk, with not a lot of tannin but a noticeable tannin backbone. High acid. Medium cherry (and funk, barnyard) finish. Drank alongside 2010 Guion Deux Monts, which was incredibly clean and blue-fruited, making for a marked contrast. Perhaps a non-representative bottle.
February 28, 2014 - Another excellent bottle from this producer. As with all of the Guion wines, this is on the more rustic side of cabernet franc, lots of gritty tannins, bell pepper etc. That being said, the fruit is very pure with bright, with clear and vibrant flavors balancing the more rustic characteristics of this wine very nicely. This is open and giving, drinking quite well now, but the balance and intensity of the fruit leads me to believe that this will continue to improve with more time in the cellar. This a wonderful and honest wine, if you want to give someone a single wine that will demonstrate what a traditional, old school Loire valley cabernet franc tastes like, this should be high on your list.
March 9, 2010 - Opens with wet brick and rusty nails on the mouth. Intensely floral and mysterious slowly showing increasing depth and elegance. A very unique experience and outstanding QPR at around $16. For most people, let it open for at least 30-45 minutes.
July 31, 2009 - This is a fantastically interesting wine. Very earthy, funky and deep. Tasted like the smell of a dark wet cave in France somewhere. Much deeper in both color (deep purple) and body. I expected a light-medium bodied wine from a Loire valley Bourgueil, but this was very full bodied, had great finish and a nice tannin structure. Could definitely sit for another 5+ years.
July 11, 2009 - My impression is similar to others noted here. The color of the wine is just awesome. The initial nose is all leather, peanut shells, tobacco, dirt, and weeds, and there's a fair amount of sinewey gaminess and classy tannins on the finish that give great grip. But there's a great core of deep red fruited goodness just waiting to burst forth -- this wine just needs a few years to ease into itself. Unbelievable value.