Château Léoube, 2012 Léoube Collector Cabernet Franc, Provence, France
Cab Franc du Jour #31
In 2002, the owner of Château Léoube approached their winemaker Romain Ott, of the famous Ott family from Provence, with the idea of making a Bordeaux-style red wine from their vineyards. To many, this might sound like a questionable proposition. Provence is too warm for Cabernet Franc, surely? In much of the region, that would be a fair assessment. But the position of the Léoube vineyard is quite something else.
Sitting only 50m from the Mediterranean Sea, the vineyard benefits from a constant and significant moderating influence from the water, cooling the site and slowing the ripening process in a way that simply does not happen further inland. And when you consider the broader picture of where Cabernet Franc thrives around the world, this proximity to the sea starts to make a great deal of sense. The variety is believed to have its origins in Basque Country, close to the Atlantic and at around 43.2 degrees N latitude. World-class examples come from Bordeaux and the coastal vineyards of Bolgheri in Tuscany, sitting at around 43.5 degrees north. Léoube’s vineyards are at approximately 43.1 degrees north. The pattern is clear: Cabernet Franc has a genuine affinity for these cooler coastal spots.
The soils add another layer of logic to the story. The vineyards are part of the Massif des Maures, a geological formation that shares its origins with the Massif Central and the Massif Armoricain of the Loire. The soils are metamorphic, with a clay base running through mica schist. That clay is important for Cabernet Franc: it retains moisture, which the variety needs, and warms up more slowly than many other soil types, keeping the vine environment cool.
Léoube planted 3 hectares of Cabernet Franc in 2002 using Clone 327, the Bordeaux clone. After nearly a decade of trials and refinements to the winemaking approach, the first vintage of this wine was released in 2011.
Wine Details
Producer: Château Léoube
Appellation: Provence, France
Sub-region: La Londe
Soils: Clay (of metamorphic origin from the Massif des Maures) with mica schist
Alcohol: 13%