Tasting Diaries: May 2025
No.60 | What's In My Glass
May flew by at break-neck speed, but it was an extremely fruitful month that took me to the Loire for a little over a week, where I had a handful of different activities on my plate, and I also recorded two new episodes for the Drinking On The Edge podcast featuring wines from both Virginia and Washington State. This month’s edition of my Tasting Diaries has a little higher percentage of Loire Cabernet Franc highlights than would be typical, but I feel obliged to share some of the delicious Cabernet Francs I enjoyed while in Mecca. I will reserve my complete tasting notes on the wines from Virginia and Washington State for when those episodes are released, but I will touch on a couple of note. So, without further ado, let’s dive in!
Thibaud Boudignon, 2023 Rosé de Loire (12.5% abv., SRP $25USD): The spring weather in Southern Ontario has commenced in fits and starts, but there were a few warm-ish days that compelled me to open a Cabernet Franc rosé. From parcels in and around the commune of St-Lambert-du-Lattay in Anjou, Thibaud Boudignon’s rosé is a perennial favourite since I tried his 2020 a few years ago. As a longtime lover of Clos Cibonne, one of things I appreciate about Thibaud’s approach with his rosé is it leans more in a gastronomic, structured style. The 2023 shows superb concentration of fruit with layers of strawberry, white raspberry and rhubarb mingling with notes of chervil, jasmine and green tea. Medium-bodied and textural, with crisp acidity and a touch of tannin to enhance the structure through the finish. Savoury, saline, serious, this is a rosé with power and presence, while remaining true to Cabernet Franc’s varietal character.
Domaine de la Marinière, 2022 Chinon "Vieille Vignes" (13.5% abv., SRP $20USD): This wine was recently released in limited quantities in the LCBO, and I was elated when I saw it on our government monopoly store shelves. This wine remains my favourite in vigneron Boris Desbourdes’s range of thoughtfully-crafted Chinons from his vineyards in Panzoult. Fermented and aged in concrete, this 2022 shows impressive restraint and elegance from such a “big” vintage in the Loire for Cabernet Franc. Plush, fresh sweet-tart red and dark fruits (red and black raspberry, Bing cherry) are complemented by herbal notes of sage, basil, and violets and spice undertones of chilli flake, cinnamon, and pink peppercorn. Lively acidity with firm, densely-packed, velvety tannins, the wine shows impressive concentration and structure, though still very approachable for the vintage. Layered, muscular without being bulky, with lovely mineral tension, this will be even better in about five years time.
Zuccardi, 2022 Polígonos del Valle de Uco, Paraje Altamira Cabernet Franc, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina (14.5% abv., SRP $28USD): I recently highlighted this wine in a full tasting video, but I wanted to take a moment to mention it here as well. The more I taste Argentinian Cabernet Franc, the more I am seeing a distinctive terroir signature that is unlike anything I’ve tasted outside of Europe. The best examples have concentration, flesh, ripe but refined tannins, and an amped up fruit and herbal profile mixing with a distinctive black peppercorn spiciness. Zuccardi is among the producers who is really getting behind this variety, particularly for its terroir expressiveness, which they highlight as part of their Polígonos range featuring expressions from Paraja Altamira, Gualtallary and San Pablo. The Paraje Altamira Cabernet Franc is the most powerful of the three with superb purity of fruit, elegant, chalky tannins and a piquant underlying spice profile. If this is what we can expect from the region’s top producers, we have a lot to look forward to as Argentina really starts to find its groove with Cabernet Franc.
On my recent trip to the Loire, I gave a masterclass for a number of international journalists that featured 16 Cabernet Francs from nine different appellations from across the region. I recently posted a rather informal recap of that masterclass in video form, but I wanted to take a moment to highlight a couple favourites from the class.
Domaine de la Renière, 2023 Saumur Rouge “La Renière” (13.5% abv., SRP 18€/$28USD): I had the pleasure of visiting vigneron Thibault Masse of Domaine de la Renière on this trip, and I was extremely impressed by his range of Cabernet Francs. The wines all had terrific energy, clarity and purity of fruit, and just the right balance of subtlety and structural presence. His 2023 “La Renière” was one of two Saumur Rouge featured during the masterclass, and it really spoke to me for the typicity and character I’ve come to love from great, early-drinking expressions of Saumur Rouge. Bright, floral, with lifted red fruits complemented by notes of mint, thyme, pink peppercorn and rose. Juicy, crunchy, with a distinctive “coolness” about it that gives this wine beautiful verve and energy. Light on its feet, but with impressive density through the mid-palate, this is the sort of wine I would drink with a slight chill on an mild, spring day.
Domaine Sauveroy, 2023 Anjou Villages “Victoire” (13.5% abv., SRP 15-20€): This was my first introduction to the wines of vigneron Quentin Cailleau and I am very keen to try more. From parcels in St-Lambert-du-Lattay on the left bank of the Layon River, his 2023 Anjou Villages was a textbook expression of Anjou Rouge from the schistous soils of the region - a style I’ve grown quite fond of over the years. Cabernet Franc on schist just hits a little different, and I love wines like this for how they are such a contrast from the other appellations. Fermented in stainless steel and aged in amphora, the wine showcased brambly, dark and red fruits, with a distinctive, lush herbal profile mixing with notes of graphite and exotic spices. Seductively styled, with cleansing acidity and grippy yet plush tannins, the wine had moody, melodic energy about it, with impressive purity, power and finesse. This is a wine that warrants a deeper dive in the months ahead!
I had the pleasure of lunching with vigneron Xavier Courant of Domaine de l’Oubliée on my last day in the Loire. Based in the tiny commune of Saint-Patrice in the easternmost part of the Bourgueil appellation, Xavier is biodynamically farming a mere four hectares of vines and making a beautiful range of Cabernet Francs. Of particular note are his Tenue de Soirée and Notre Histoire cuvées.
The 2022 Bourgueil “Notre Histoire” (13.5% abv., SRP 15-18€) is from parcels on a plateau of Senonian-era clays mixed with flint that can be found at the higher elevations in select parts of the Bourgueil appellation. The wine showed a beautiful brambly dark-fruited character layered with purple florals and warming spices (cardamom, Sichuan peppercorn), with dense layers of velvety tannins and a bright, vibrant acidity. Plush and round, with impressive breadth through the mid-palate and elegance through the finish. I loved this wine for how closely it resembled wines from similar terroirs in other appellations.
Xavier’s 2022 Bourgueil “Tenue de Soirée” (13.5% abv., SRP 18-20€) would be the yang to Notre Histoire’s yin. From more shallow, lighter textured soils over the Middle Turonian tuffeau chalk, as the image of the corset on the label provokes, this wine is all about verticality and tension. Red-fruited, with herbal undertones of mint and rosemary that mixed with spicy floral undertones of peony and rose, the wine was elegantly structured with high-toned, vivacious acidity, all wrapped up in a medium-bodied frame. The wine’s heady perfume drew you in, and its superb concentration and length kept you coming back for more. Focused, layered, with a fine-boned structure, this will continue to improve and gain complexity with time in the bottle.
This is a simple PSA to tell you, do NOT sleep on the 2021 vintage for Loire Valley Cabernet Franc. This vintage received some less-than-favourable press when the wines were first released that I personally feel was rather unfair to the wines and the hardworking vignerons and vigneronnes that tended to the vines during this cooler more “ligerien” vintage. As I have stressed in a number of posts, known the vigneron and know the parcel, and the vintage becomes secondary. And I really believe some of the vintage’s best wines will have lots to offer to those who are willing to be patient and give them time to express themselves. When dining out in the Loire during recent trips, I reach for the 2021s first for their freshness, elegant tannins and drinkability. During this recent visit, I enjoyed the 2021 Saumur-Champigny “Chaintres” from Domaines des Sables Verts (13% abv., SRP 20-22€/$30USD) and the 2021 Saumur-Champigny “Le Grand Clos” from Château de Villeneuve (12% abv., SRP 28€/$45USD) on two different occasions dining out in Saumur. Both wines paired seamlessly with the springtime fare that graced our plates, and delivered ease, pleasure and finesse with every sip.
Gabriele Rausse, 2023 Cabernet Franc, Virginia, USA (13.7% abv., SRP $23USD): One of the very first Virginia Cabernet Francs I tried was from Gabriele Rausse when I was in the region in the fall of 2020. Since then, I have always appreciated the family’s approach with the variety. A legend in the Virginia wine scene, Gabriele Rausse has established over 100 vineyard sites across the state over the course of his career, and today his sons Tim and Peter are running the family winery. I had the pleasure of “meeting” Tim Rausse during our recording of the Virginia episode of Drinking on Edge, and I was instantly smitten with his 2023 Cabernet Franc. Fruit-forward and juicy, with a pleasant mix of red and dark fruits, dried herbs and loads of purple floral notes, with a touch of cinnamon stick spice on the finish. Finely structured, with delightful middle palate flesh and weight, this was a joyous, companionable Cabernet Franc that I wouldn’t hesitate to reach for any night of the week.
As part of the forthcoming Washington State episode of Drinking On The Edge, I had the pleasure to be introduced to Robert Gomez and his Hoquetus Wine Company. Robert is a big fan of Cabernet Franc, producing several styles and expressions of the variety at is winery in the Walla Walla Valley. I thoroughly enjoyed his contributions to our discussion on Washington State Cabernet Franc, and I struggled to contain my excitement when he remarked “I have proudly never made a Cabernet Sauvignon, and don’t ever intend to” - not a common occurrence in Washington wine country! His 2023 and 2022 Cabernet Francs both from the Blue Mountain Vineyard (14.1% abv. and 13.7% respectively, SRP $38-40USD) were a joy to taste. Stripped down and thoughtfully-crafted, both wines showed the red-fruited and spicy side of Cabernet Franc, with focused acidity and nicely managed tannins. Fun and unpretentious, while being well thought through and respectful of the grape and place, these wines were a terrific introduction to Hoquetus and I look forward to continuing to follow Robert’s journey with the variety for vintages to come.
Lamé Delisle Boucard, 2024 Bourgueil "Déchainée" (12% abv., SRP 7.50-10€): While in the Loire, I was on the hunt for a bottle from the 2024 vintage so that I could take it home and taste something “finished” from this rather challenging vintage. The 2024 vintage wasn’t the easiest, but based on the few tank samples I tried in February, I remain cautiously optimistic that we have plenty to look forward to from across the Loire for Cabernet Franc. If nothing else, it will be a return to lower alcohols! This 2024 Bourgueil from Lamé Delisle Boucard clocks in at 12%, and displays beautiful, bright, crunchy red fruits, soft herbal undertones and delicate rosewater bouquet. Not the least bit underripe or “green,” it has soft tannins and juicy, cleansing acidity that was vibrant without being austere. Perky, jovial, infinitely drinkable, you can bet I will be heading to the domaine (or to the Maison des Vins de Bourgueil) on my return to the Loire to stock up on some bottles so that I can guzzle them slightly chilled as the summer temperatures climb.
Looking ahead to June… it will be another busy month! I have a short trip planned to New York to get a crash course in what is happening with Cabernet Franc on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley, so stay tuned for highlights from that trip. And then later in the month, I will be returning to the Loire Valley for La Paulée d’Anjou, where I will be leading a masterclass, and I will be sticking around the region for a little longer with several tastings and visits still in the works.
Thank you as always for reading, and for your continued enthusiasm and support.
I have made Cabernet Franc in Walla Walla since 2003. Currently I have two price points of CF wine one at $19 per bottle and one at $45 per bottle.