2003 Yannick Amirault Bourgueil La Coudraye, France, Loire, Wine Review

This is a Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley. 2003 was an extremely hot vintage and also the vintage where Benoit came home to work the vineyards with his father Yannick. This is fully mature and maybe a bit past for some bottles and depending how you like you wine. Deep ruby in color. The nose has black cherries, slight tobacco, dust and slight spice. Medium bodied. Tannins fully resolved. On the palate, black cherries over a cigar box quality. Good acidity. Nice finish. This should be consumed in the next three to five years. It goes well with roast or casseroles.

Grade:

A-

Score:

Vintage:

2003

Rosé du Loire? Mais oui! Cabernet Franc’s Lighter Shade

The Bay Area is experiencing an unseasonable hot spell. And here, like most places suffering under the unrelenting rays of our nearest star, rosé is king. But not just any rosé. Survey the bottles of blush pinch-hitting for rouge in wine enthusiasts’ lineups these days, and you’ll find a predominance of wine from Southern France . And rightly so – no region does rosé better than the appellations bordering the sun-lit Cote d’Azur. But Provence is not the only show in town. Other regions, not only in France but also in Spain, Germany, and Italy, produce delightful examples of warm weather’s red-substitute.

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Life is Like a Mixed Case of Loire Cabernet Franc (or, A Wild Night at Solano Cellars)

If you’re looking for a wild night, grab a few bottles of Loire Cabernet Franc, call a couple of friends, and swing by your local wine shop. I kid you not. My wife and I did this very thing yesterday evening, and it proved to be one crazy ride. For the normal among us – those who prefer to spend their evenings at the theater, clubs, house parties, or sporting events – a Cabernet Franc tasting may not sound terribly entertaining.

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2019 Yannick Amirault Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Les Malgagnes, France, Loire, Wine Review

Vintage:

2019

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$39.00USD

In a recent tasting of Loire reds, this was the run away winner. 100% Cabernet Franc. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has black cherries, slight cedary notes and chalk. Silky texture. Medium to full bodied. On the palate, the black cherry fruit comes thru with some underlying chalk. Deep. Light tannins. Long finish. Delicious. This is nice on its own and would work nicely with grilled meats or roasted veggies. It may still improve a bit but should drink well for another eight to twelve years.

Borgueil: The Unpronounceable, Unforgettable King of Cabernet Franc

When I think of wine that is interesting, unique, obscure, high-value, and small-production, I think of Borgueil – the small wine region in France’s Loire Valley that produces almost exclusively Cabernet Franc.

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Cheval Blanc: The “First Growth” of the Right Bank

When the wines of Bordeaux were classified in 1855 all of the wines were from the Left Bank of the Gironde River. In fact, with the exception of Haut Brion, which is from Graves, all of the wines classified were from the Medoc. Since that time, the winemaking areas of Bordeaux have greatly expanded. Some of the best wines in Bordeaux are now made on the Right Bank including some of the most expensive wines in the entire world. While there is no official classification system for all of Bordeaux, there can be no doubt that if such a system was implemented today, at least a few Right Bank wineries would make the list. Perhaps no winery deserves the mythical first growth of the Right Bank title more than Cheval Blanc. In fact, the wines of Saint Émilion, a commune on the Right Bank, were ranked in 1955 and Cheval Blanc was one of two that received the highest rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé (A). Those rankings were redone in 1969, 1986, and 1996 and most recently in 2006 (although that ranking is the subject of an ongoing legal dispute not relevant to Cheval Blanc) and Cheval Blanc has remained a First Growth in every subsequent ranking.

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2003 Yannick Amirault Bourgueil La Coudraye, France, Loire, Wine Review

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Related Articles

Rosé du Loire? Mais oui! Cabernet Franc’s Lighter Shade

Life is Like a Mixed Case of Loire Cabernet Franc (or, A Wild Night at Solano Cellars)

2019 Yannick Amirault Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Les Malgagnes, France, Loire, Wine Review

Borgueil: The Unpronounceable, Unforgettable King of Cabernet Franc

Cheval Blanc: The “First Growth” of the Right Bank