Tasting Diaries: January 2026
No.72 | What's In My Glass
I’m sure I am not the only one that is looking forward to turning over the calendar and starting a new month tomorrow. January has been intense, dark, and long (not to mention, as a resident in the snow belt in south-central Ontario, very cold and very snowy as well!). I spent the month doing some content planning for the year ahead, which included recording a few videos as part of a new series I will be launching in February. All and all, it was a relatively calm start to the year and I had some delicious bottles of Cabernet Franc to keep me warm. Here are some highlights.
M & S Bouchet, 2010 “Le Sylphe” Cabernet Franc, Vin de France (Montreuil-Bellay) (13.5% abv., SRP $25USD/15.00EUR): This domaine is likely a new discovery for some. Historically known as Domaine de Château Gaillard, Matthieu and Sylvanie Bouchet took up reigns at the family domaine in 1990 following the retirement of Matthieu’s father François. François Bouchet is widely regarded as one of the fathers of biodynamic viticulture in France having started farming biodynamically at his own domaine in 1962 and going on to consult for the likes of Domanie Leflaive, Domaine Leroy and others. Matthieu and Sylvanie still farm biodynamically today and produce a mere 2000 cases annually from their old vines (averaging 40 to 80 years old). The 2010 “Le Sylphe” is at a beautiful place in its evolution. It unfurls with a mix of red and dark fruits (dried blueberry, cranberry-raspberry fruit leather), along with notes of lush evergreen, juniper, bay leaf and star anise. Fine, enveloping tannins highlight the evolving layers of potting soil, dried leaves, earl grey tea, green peppercorn and sumac. A generous and sultry mid-palate leads to an ethereal, feather-weight finish that is long on flavour and complexity. A graceful, contemplative wine, ideal for a solo New Year’s Eve dinner (speaking from experience!) accompanied by duck confit and gratin dauphinois.
Yannick Amirault, 2024 Bourgeuil “Côte 50” (12.5% abv., SRP $30USD/14.00EUR): I have written about the Côte 50 on a number of occasions here and it is a wine I revisit as often as I can. I visited with Benoît Amirault in December where we tasted some of the 2025s from tank, but also their current releases, including this 2024, the first of two wines from this challenging vintage that are currently available at the domaine. Back on home soil, I spent a bit more time with this wine and was very excited to follow its evolution over a few days. The wine opens with absolutely exquisite aromatics: heady notes of purple flowers, bergamot and pink peppercorns mixing with tiny sweet-tart forest berries. On opening, the palate was a touch austere, angular and little out of sync, but a bit of patience is this wine’s best friend. On the second day, those hard edges softened to reveal a fresh, delicately structured palate with fine, chalky tannins and bright, zippy acidity. Light bodied and refined with a snappy, raspberry-flecked middle palate and a peppery finish, I think this wine will be even better in about three to six months time.
Domaine Guiberteau, 2019 Saumur Rouge ‘Les Chapaudaises’ (13.0% abv., SRP $65USD/40.00EUR: I have a decent amount of Cabernet Franc from Domaine Guiberteau in my cellar, and opening a bottle is always an exercise in patience, particularly for his two top cuvée parcellaires, namely Les Chapaudaises from the commune of Épieds (formerly Bizay) and Les Arboises from Brézé. I followed this wine over four days, which I appreciate isn’t a practical exercise should you come across it in a restaurant, but if you have this in your cellar, the lesson here is time is on your side. Upon opening, the wine was relatively closed on the nose and palate, showing densely packed and concentrated notes of ripe dark fruit and earth, pronounced acidity and firm, taut tannins that lacked integration with the wine’s body and aromatics. By day four, the wine really showed its true colours. Expressive, with lifted florals (lavender, violets), vivid earthy and herbal undertones (dried rosemary, bay leaf, cedar wood and leaves), and fragrant spicy notes (sandalwood, cardamom, dried ginger). Structurally, the wine became beautifully knit together and more harmonious on the palate. The tannins became elongated and silky, the acidity softened, yet remained persistent through the finish, providing focus, tension, and digeste drinkability. This is truly an exceptional wine. If you have this in your cellar, consider holding it for at least another five years. I think this will start to hit its stride in 2031-2032.
Domaine de Nerleux, 2022 Saumur-Champigny (13.5% abv., SRP 11.80EUR): From a selection of the estate’s parcels in the commune of Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg in southern Saumur-Champigny, this 2022 from vigneronne Amélie Neau and her team is a textbook, early-drinking expression from Saumur-Champigny. The 2022 vintage, while exceptional in its own right, certainly tested a vigneron’s ability to produce fruity, easy-drinking reds. The vintage provided ideal conditions for rich, structured concentrated reds, so to craft an “entry-level” wine that is approachable and “digeste” required a careful, gentler hand. Domaine de Nerleux knocked it out of the park here. Delightfully fresh and lifted, with a balanced underpinning of earth (violets, thyme, mint, cedar leaves) and piquant, peppery spice (pink and green peppercorns), the palate is plush and juicy, with refreshing acidity and supple, velvety tannins. With a bit more stuffing and substance to take it beyond being a simple quaffer, it shows the vintage beautifully but with a restrained, elegant hand. Approachable and friendly, this wine is such a joy to drink and over-delivers for the price point.
Arnaud Lambert, 2022 Saumur Rouge “Mazurique” (14.0% abv., SRP $25USD/15.00EUR): This is another wine I have tasted and re-tasted on a number of occasions, and it is always interesting to see where a particular vintage is at in terms of its evolution. The wine is coming from a cooler, clay-rich lieu-dit in southern Brézé and I find that even in a warm, sunny, dry vintage like 2022, this wine always needs a little bit longer to come around (particularly compared to Arnaud’s Saumur-Champigny “Terres Rouges” from the same vintage). A touch reductive on opening, with a bit of oxygen, the wine shows plush, “sunny” ripe blue and red fruits with a distinctive cool climate, foresty undertone, reminiscent of spruce and fir. Densely packed and concentrated on the palate, with cleansing acidity and firm, luxe, crushed velvet tannins, the wine is layered, richly spiced (allspice, nutmeg, clove) and has a pronounced “clayey” mineral edge. Full bodied and round, with an enveloping mid-palate experience, this wine punches well above its weight class, and while it is one of the domaine’s “early-drinking” expressions, this wine has so much concentration and depth, it will definitely continue to improve with time in the bottle.
Catena Zapata, 2023 San Carlos Appellation Cabernet Franc (13.5% abv., SRP $22USD): The Uco Valley is emerging as the epicentre for growth in Cabernet Franc plantings in Argentina. The region of San Carlos is the southernmost sub-region in the Uco Valley and benefits from being one of the coolest in Mendoza, as well as boasting a bevy of “crus” including Paraje Altamira and Pampa El Cepillo. This wine is from a selection of parcels from across San Carlos at an average elevation of 1090m above sea level, and sees a rather classic approach to red wine vinification with 12 months in French oak barrels (30-40% new). Expressive, fragrant and spicy, the nose and palate show balanced aromatics with all the components (fruit, earth, spice, wood) working in tandem. Ripe, fleshy red fruits, notes of Mediterranean herbs and eucalyptus, rose, and spicy undertones of black pepper, crushed red chilli flakes and cinnamon. The palate shows the markers of the vintage, with elevated, mouthwatering acidity and fine, firm chalky tannins that combine with the fruit to create a wine that has flesh and concentration without being bulky, while also being well-structured with drinkability, pliability and ease. This really feels like a real “food” wine to me, so I would consider pairing this with a classic peppercorn-rubbed grilled steak or a black pepper beef stir fry with peppers and cabbage.
Finally, being a recap of January and all, I can’t pass up the opportunity to shine a light on Cabernet Franc Icewine. If you are not familiar with this particular style of Cabernet Franc, it is worth seeking out. I put together a short video giving an overview of this style, how it is made and how best to enjoy it. An absolute delight for those who love naturally sweet dessert wines.
Now, looking ahead to February, I have a bit of travel lined up, including a brief visit to New York City for the Cab Franc Forward Grand Tasting on Tuesday and then off to France for Wine Paris and some visits in the Loire. No doubt there will be lots of interesting highlights to talk about in a months time!
As always, thank you for reading, and for all of your continued support.