Cabernet Franc from France and Italy
My first wine tasting for 2025. I missed the January tasting as I was travelling.
As President Bob was absent, Neil stepped up to the plate and put together a great group of Cabernet Franc wines (see Neil’s portrait). A truly excellent and insightful tasting.
As usual, it was a great team effort, with Doug hosting, Peter handling the logistics with aplomb and John buying the food. It was lovely to see Zuzana who rarely makes it along.
I felt somewhat sentimental being together with my OECD friends, as June and I are scheduled to leave France in four months time.
Here are the details:
Clos Rougeard – Saumur-Champigny “Le Clos” 2015 (Saumur-Champigny, Loire) 100% Cabernet Franc – Widely seen as the “crown jewel” of the Loire, the Clos Rougeard has helped put Saumur-Champigny on the map as one of the best terroirs in the world for Cabernet Franc.“Le Clos” is the domain’s basic cuvée assembled from 15 different plots around the villages of Chacé, Varrains and Dampierre and aged slowly in old barrels for 18-24 months.
“The 2015 Le Clos is deep, refined and elegant with a clear and fresh nose that displays very fine dark berry and iodine as well as chalky and herbal aromas. Round, intense and juicy on the palate, with fine tannins and acidity, this is a silky, deep and fleshy, very fine and elegant yet also lush and balanced Cabernet Franc with fine tannins and a long and intense, aromatic finish.”
Proprietá Sperino– L’ Franc Bandit 2015 (Lessona, Alto Piemonte) 100% Cabernet Franc – Luca de Marchi, the son of Paolo de Marchi (Isole e Olena), produces a confidential cuvée of Cabernet Franc as Vino da Tavola on the family domain. Less than a 1000 bottles are made every year from 0.4 hectares of vine in the Castagnola vineyard at over 300 metres of altitude. As with the domain’s Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, L’ Franc Bandit demonstrates the potential of Piedmontese “climats” to produce great wines beyond the region’s native varietals.
“This is an unusual wine for the area, which normally focuses on native grapes. It opens with classic varietal aromas of cassis, cedar, exotic spice and a whiff of bell pepper. Juicy and savory, the smooth concentrated palate doles out ripe black cherry, black currant, ground pepper and star aniseed framed in velvety tannins that give it an almost weightless character.”
Château Le Dôme Saint Émilion Grand Cru 2015 (Saint Émilion, Bordeaux) 80% Cabernet Franc / 20% Merlot – Situated just beside Angélus, Le Dôme is the top Bordeaux wine produced by Jonathan Maltus.
“Medium to deep garnet in color. Le Dôme slowly grows on the nose into the more gorgeous bouquet of roses, lavender, and lilac over a core of stewed red and black plums and Ceylon tea, with touches of dusty soil and garrigue. It is full-bodied and the palate is jam-packed with red berry preserves and floral layers, framed by exquisitely ripe, plush tannins and a lively backbone, finishing with amazing length.”
Le Macchiole – Paleo 2013 (Bolgheri, Tuscany) 100% Cabernet Franc – Created in 1975 by the late Eugenio Campolmi, Le Macchiole has helped pioneer the Super Tuscan / IGT Toscana trend with its single varietal Syrah (Scrio), Cabernet Franc (Paleo) and Merlot (Messorio) wines.Paleo is produced from the Casa Nuova, Vignone andUlivino vineyards, with very low yield and 15-18 months of ageing in a mix of new oak barrels and amphora.
“Shows a soft and feminine side with rose petal, lavender, wet earth, rosemary and dark fruit. These are beautiful but unexpected qualities. The wine is ever so reflective of the grape variety, but it also does a great job of incorporating Tuscan ideals, with sunshine, grace and generosity among them. As you dig deeper, Paleo reveals more surprising layers. The finish is soft and slightly sweet. Paleo reveals something new each time you go back to the glass to take a new sip. This wine promises a long ageing future.”
Domaine Antoine Sanzay– Saumur-Champigny “Les Poyeux” 2008 (Saumur- Champigny, Loire) Magnum 100% Cabernet Franc – The clay-limestone terroir and abundant draining alluvial sands of Les Poyeux are renowned for producing elegant and long-lasting wines. Antoine Sanzay is a young winemaker from the village of Varrains who studied under Nady Foucault (Clos Rougeard).
“La robe est très sombre et laisse à peine transparaître quelques reflets tuilés. D’une grande intensité, le nez impressionne par son côté sérieux avec du cuir et une note végétale, mais des arômes de fruits noirs, de fumé et de poivre lui apportent une bonne complexité. La bouche possède une forte identité: elle est dense et austère (un peu trop à mon goût), bâtie sur une acidité structurante et des tanins poudrés. La finale a plus d’éclat et fait ressortir un peu plus le fruit.”