Cabernet Franc in Three Styles
by Jane Augustine
2022 Saumur Champigny “Clos de l’Échelier”
France | Loire
The romantic tale to know about Clos de l’Échelier is that upon arriving in Saumur in the 1990s, Thierry Germain and his wife, Marie, found themselves on a roving drive and stumbled upon this gorgeous parcel, an ancient, walled-in clos near some woodlands. Enchanted, Thierry promised Marie he would buy it for her one day, and twenty years later, he had the opportunity to do so. L’Échelier has been cultivated for hundreds of years, and carries this centuries-old wisdom into its wines with the help of Thierry’s holistic practices. It is energetic, mouthwatering, and grandiose.
2024 Bourgueil “Cuvée Alouettes”
France | Loire
At the risk of repeating what you may already know about this wine, and using too many “B’s” in the process: The Boucard family’s Bourgueils are bistro wines! Especially their Cuvée Alouettes, which is meant for youthful enjoyment. What is a bistro wine, exactly? This one is zippy, yet velvety, beaming with blackberry and cassis, and packs an earthy bite—qualities that come in handy alongside foods like steak au poivre, soupe à l’oignon, quenelles de poisson, and moules frites.
2023 Chinon “Les Grézeaux”
France | Loire
One of my favorite corners in Baudry’s tasting room (second only to their gallery wall of local pairing menus from celebrations of the last century) is an illuminating display of soil samples from all of their vineyards. A geological rainbow, this cross-section offers a glimpse below the surface of the differences in terroir we usually perceive only in our glasses. Les Grézeaux comes from a deep gray, gravelly clay that hosts the family’s oldest—over sixty-five-year-old—vines. This luxurious Chinon tastes fresh, brambly, and lived-in, like the loose weave of a well-worn sweater.