Kreis, 2020 Rou-Rou-Rouge Cabernet Franc, Württemberg, Germany

Producer Feature

I have discovered over the years that when a person chooses to grow and/or work with Cabernet Franc in regions where it is not necessarily the obvious choice, it is often because of a deep love of the Cabernet Franc expressions from the classic appellations in the Loire Valley. This is very much the case with the Kreis family based in Stuttgart in southern Germany. Bernd Kreis launched his import company Weinhandlung Kreis in 1996, and today counts among its Loire Cabernet Franc producers some of the most elite in the respective appellations, including Clos Rougeard, Domaine des Roches Neuves and Domaine des Closiers in Saumur-Champigny, Domaine du Bel Air in Bourgueil and Philippe Alliet in Chinon. And in 1998, he planted a tiny parcel of 0.13 hectares of Cabernet Franc vines near the hamlet of Haigst southwest of Stuttgart with the plans to make a wine inspired by some of his favourites from the Loire.

Located in the region of Württemberg, the city of Stuttgart is perhaps best known …