Originally published on July 19, 2008.
This is the time of the year when wine stores should be selling the roses they already have on hand – not buying new ones. But when Eva, one of my reps brought this one in to try, I just had to throw caution to the wind and bring some in. Good idea it appears – we sampled it on Friday and went sold almost 2 cases in 2 hours. For a little store like mine, that’s pretty stunning. Needless to say, more of this little gem will be arriving on early next week.
Domaine de la Noiraie is located in Bourgueil, a sub-region within the larger Loire Valley region. If it says Bourgueil on the lable it’s Cabernet Franc in the bottle. Outside of the Loire, it’s unusual to find a wine that’s 100% Cabernet Franc. It’s most often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Merlot to make a Bordeaux-style blend (unless of course you’re actually in Bordeaux, where’s just called, well, Bordeaux). But in the Loire, in regions like Bourgueil and Chinon, Cabernet Franc is the star grape and makes wines that are unique, food-friendly, and relative bargains.
As a red wine, any true expression of Cabernet Franc will have a little bit of funky earthiness to it, like the scent of a garden after a rainfall – fresh, wet, green earth. It may sound icky when put in these terms, but combined with the usual red fruits of the grape, it makes for the perfect summer red – a little lighter than Cabernet Sauvignon, but still capable of being very serious. The wine can be made in such a way that the little bit of green funkiness disappears, but then what’s the point – might as well just drink a Cab Sauv if that’s what you want.
This happy little Cab Franc rose has that little green edge as well. It comes through as celery or maybe cucumbers and combines with the berry/watermelon notes to make for a very refreshing drink. If you’ve ever had a Pimms Cup, then you know a little bit of cucumber is a good thing in a summer beverage. If not, you’ll just have to trust me.
The producer, Domaine de la Noiraie has a blog tracking the harvest activity. It’s in French and the google translation renders it even more incomprehensible. One of the posts is titled ‘Repliage Chopsticks!’ I have no idea what it means, but it sounds as exuberant and happy as this wine tastes. So raise a glass and make a toast……….Repliage Chopsticks!!