Jardins de Fleury, 2022 'Jardin' Cabernet Franc
No.54 | Producer Feature
Since launching Cab Franc Chronicles, I have visited the Loire with some degree of regularity, though I haven’t made any time to visit Anjou or some of the fringe viticultural areas where Cabernet Franc tends to play second fiddle to Chenin Blanc. Thankfully there are annual trade salons and other events where I have an opportunity to meet some of these producers and taste their wines. And this is how I met Carole Kohler of Jardins de Fleury some three years ago. A former engineer turned vigneronne, Carole’s energy is infectious, and you can’t help but be drawn to her enthusiasm for her domaine, which only began to come to life in 2016.
Having met Carole a few times over the years, I finally made the “trek” (a 35km drive south of Saumur) to her domaine in Thouars on a dreary day last October. Carole’s domaine and vineyards are technically in Anjou, but here we are not in the heart of Anjou alongside more well-known appellations like Coteaux du Layon, Sav…