2006 Le Grand-Clere (François Blanchard) Cabernet Franc

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  8/19/2009, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (LE GRANDE CLERE Francois Blanchard red wine) Francois Blanchard Dear Friends, For those of you that don't have a lot of time on your hands to read this long-winded compendium, if you are into Silver Oak or delicious, caramel-tinged red wine, you may want to hit delete and save yourself an unfortunate encounter with this eccentric and unique example. If, on the other hand, you are wandering up the yellow brick road toward an Oz that may be great and powerful or may not exist at all (and you really don't mind which you find), this is one of those offers that has become synonymous with what Garagiste is all about. I often mention Francois Blanchard (and his winery Le Grande Clere) in the same breath as Frank Cornelissen or Cedric Bouchard - renegades that have (through some circuitous route) become personal friends of mine but have also become beacons in their respective regions. Without an opposing force, the established norm continues to churn in one direction and all three of the individuals I've just named have decided to pull that force back for reassessment. Of the three, Francois Blanchard may be the most controversial but he has quickly become an iconic force in the Loire Valley, a region full of wanna-be pioneers that have found a new idol in Blanchard. A musician by trade, everything Francois does relates in some way to Jazz or to other musical references and each grape sings its own song of ripeness and a willingness to be picked (if you haven't figured it out already, this is about as far from the commercial side of the wine trade as it gets). This small 2.7ha family estate that he resuscitated by hand over a number of years is farmed, tended and cultivated by him alone and the wine is vinified and produced with no help except gravity (and a new percheron, named "The Organic Tractor"). The phrase "no help" refers to what is in the wine as well: grapes - nothing else. No added yeast, enzymes, enhancers, acid or adjustments of any kind - it is literally 100% grapes (an anomaly in the wine trade) and in 2006 no sulfur was used as well. Everything is certified organic and biodynamic - the vines are 30-40 years of age - the weeds and general disarray of the random vineyard may be older. In 2006, Blanchard decided to do something new - to produce only one red wine made entirely from Cabernet Franc. Instead of individual concertos or free thought jazz compositions (as he produced in 2005), he decided to make a single symphony with "volumes" or parts of his favorite red wine tanks or barrels expertly blended into one harmonious whole. I'm not sure what he's going to do with the rest of the wine (that didn't make the grade for the red wine) but it wouldn't shock me if it came back a few years from now in the form of a Loire Recioto or something bizarre. The 2006 red is yet unnamed (he will not tell me what the name is) - it's being shipped as "Le Grand Clere" Red Wine, although, when we open the boxes I am certain it will have a name - you can bet on that. The wine contains the entire mass of 2006 Violoncelite and Contrebasse (plus parts of his other cuvees) woven together in a whirlwind symphony of wine and place that plays homage to the Cabernet Franc grape and its rightful home circa latitude 47. Francois calls this vintage "wine and crayons" so some form of exhibitionist art is expected in the wine and on the label but its message is clear: this is a vinous work of musical art meant to stimulate and challenge the senses. The 2006 red wine is a monster. It's incredible purity is submerged in a pre-oxidative, mess of sediment and wine that is almost astonishing. I left the bottle open for three days and its analysis barely changed (if at all). On the fourth day, it finally opened into a jigsaw puzzle of blue/purple stone-filled mineral drenched fruit that was like chewing wild Cabernet Franc grapes before they were cultivated by humans (seeds, stems and all). This wine will challenge your notion of what Cabernet Franc can be but it also satiates the pleasure sensors with cold, wind-driven sweet black fruit that forces your literary and musical memory bank to search for adjectives. It has balance despite the size with deft natural acidity that is the final necessary element in a complete work that is a blockbuster of fruit and spice crusted delight. An eccentric's beverage of choice - one of a kind and close to extraordinary. A 30 year wine? As I write the word "eccentric" above I can't help but wonder if this wine, this style, has ventured from the word and has somehow become the new center position, the goal for what can be attained with this grape? Rival winemakers will look at this and try to emulate it - when that happens, the norm has been moved toward a place once considered unthinkable. If there is truth in that statement then a new dawn has arisen in the world of wine and the related sense of consciousness that defines "Cabernet Franc" or "Chardonnay" or any varietals recognizable and accepted makeup is precariously in jeopardy. Please note: Blanchard now ships all of his wine with a clear capsule that should be removed from the bottle before placing in the cellar - this will allow the natural aspiration and slow oxygenation of the wine via cork. If you have other prized wines with this protective clear capsule, you may want to remove them as well. In addition, if you open the wine this year, make sure to decant at least 6-12 hours before serving. ONE MINISCULE SHIPMENT ONLY directly from the winery cellar (only a few dozen cases for export to the world): 2006 Francois Blanchard "Le Grande Clere" (red wine/Touraine) 750ml Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Loire8499