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Licence to chill: Why Cabernet Franc is best served cool

Posted by on August 8, 2019

Cabernet Francs from Langlois-Château, Domaine Guion, Y Amirault and Château Fouquet

 

First published in The Irish Times, Saturday 3rd August, 2019

It was a Loire Cabernet that started it all. Years ago in Paris, sitting in a wine bar, I was served a glass of a lightly chilled red for the first time. It was an inexpensive, lightly fruity, fairly acidic Cabernet Franc, and it went down a treat with a lunch of Poilâne bread and, if I remember correctly, a bowl of rillettes, some pâté en croute, a few slices of salami, and cornichons. There may have been cheese involved too. There usually is.

Cool for me means about 14 degrees. (Ely wine bar tell me they serve their “cool” wines at 13-14 degrees). As well as Cabernet Franc, young and fruity wines such as Beaujolais, Bardolino, Valpolicella, the Mencía-based red wines of northwest Spain and even unoaked Rioja all taste even better given this treatment.

Cabernet Franc has always been one of my favourite grapes. Generally, it is lighter and less muscular than its cousin Cabernet Sauvignon. Less expensive versions, such as the one I drank in Paris, should be fragrant, light and fruity; these are the wines to chill a little. The very best Cabernet Franc, given time, can morph into magnificent wines that are all soft red fruits, forest floor and pencil shavings. In between you will find all sorts of delicious, elegant wines with wonderful pure red and black fruits – the essence of summer. Most also have a refreshing acidity that makes them great with food – fatty foods in particular.

In the Loire Valley, production is centred within Touraine – Chinon, Bourgeuil, St Nicolas de Bourgeuil and Saumur-Champigny are the names to look out for, although you will also find some very good AOC Touraine and vin de pays too. Each appellation is said to have its own style, Chinon being considered the most elegant, St Nicolas de Bourgueil the most structured. But much depends on the local soils and individual grower.

Elsewhere in France, almost half of all Cabernet Franc is found in Bordeaux, and St Émilion in particular. Some of the greatest wines of all, including Châteaux Cheval-Blanc, Angelus and Ausone, are about 50 per cent Cabernet Franc. A number of producers in Argentina believe that Cabernet Franc has a great future in their country – try Kaiken or the Zorzal Eggo Franco – but made in a very different style.

Sadly, there seems to be a shortage of inexpensive Loire Cabernet Franc in our supermarkets. I suspect that acidity does not always appeal to the Irish palate. Talking to the supermarket buyers, several had tried it, but it hadn’t sold. Independent wine shops are a better place to look: Terroirs, in Donnybrook in Dublin, Le Caveau, in Kilkenny, and Quintessential, in Drogheda, in Co Louth, all have an excellent range.

 

Langlois-Château St Nicolas de Bourgueil 2017
12.5%, €17.95
Classic Loire Cabenet Franc, with delicious light, fresh, crunchy, tangy, ripe blackcurrant fruits, backed up with good acidity. Try it with rillettes.
From O’Briens, obrienswine.ie

Bourgueil 2017 Cuvée Prestige Domaine Guion (Organic)
12.5%, €25
Lovely red cherry aromas, flowing smooth, ripe red fruits, a mouthwatering acidity and a pretty good finish. Very nice wine; try it with a seared breast of duck.
From syips.com; Ely 64, Glasthule, Co Dublin, ely64.com; Green Man Wines, Dublin 6, greenmanwines.ie; Martin’s Off Licence, Dublin 3, martinsofflicence.ie

Bourgueil 2017 La Coudraye, Y Amirault (Organic)
13%, €25
Abundant blackcurrants and other dark ripe fruits, with light tannins on the impressive finish. A lovely glass of wine. With pork chops or sheep’s cheese.
From Sheridan’s Cheesemongers, Dublin 2, Kells, Co Meath, and Galway, sheridanscheesemongers.com; Green Man Wines, Dublin 6, greenmanwines.ie; Red Nose Wine, Clonmel, Co Tipperary, rednosewine.com; Fallon & Byrne, Dublin 6, fallonandbyrne.com

Saumur-Champigny Le Clos 2015, Château Fouquet (Organic, biodynamic)
13%, €30
Very closed at first, then opens out nicely. Very concentrated rich red fruits, a good tannic structure and excellent length. Decant or keep a few years.
From Whelehan’s Wines, Dublin 18, whelehanswines.ie

 

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The reds and rosés of the Loire

Posted by on July 31, 2017

First published in The Irish Times, Saturday 29th July, 2017

A very happy wine trade friend recently returned from his family holiday in France. Having pitched their tent in a campsite by the river, they spent two glorious sunny weeks wandering down to the shops to stock up on local foods, which they brought home, cooked and consumed, accompanied by an array of local wines. They were fortunate to be based in the Loire valley, a beautiful region with plenty of great summer wines to offer.

 The region is home to sparkling, white, rosé, red and sweet wines. For white wines, they offer much more than Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. Not only has Muscadet revived itself and is producing excellent wines at very favourable prices, but producers seem to have made great progress in taming the Chenin Blanc. But this week, we stay with reds (and rosés), both very food-friendly summer wines that are perfect with lighter foods.

 You will find some Pinot Noir, Malbec, Gamay and a little Cabernet Sauvignon, but the great red grape of the Loire is Cabernet Franc. Long thought to be a cousin of the better-known Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc, along with Sauvignon Blanc, is actually the parent of same. You will only find it in quantity in two other parts of the world; the right bank of Bordeaux and northeastern Italy. Essentially, it is a lighter, early-drinking version of Cabernet Sauvignon, although one of the greatest, most long-lived Bordeaux, Ch Cheval-Blanc is more than 50 per cent Cabernet Franc, and some of the best Cabernet Franc from Chinon and Bourgeuil also mature wonderfully. It also ripens a week or two earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon, a real advantage in the cooler Loire valley.

Leafy flavours

In poor vintages, Loire Cab Franc can be a little too green and herbaceous, although this happens far less frequently these days thanks to better viticulture and climate change. Young wines have lovely subtle aromas of and juicy soft redcurrant and blackcurrant fruits. It is generally light in alcohol, with a refreshing acidity, making it a perfect summer wine, served cool or even lightly chilled. The more serious wines repay, keeping up to 20 years, when the wines develop wonderful soft leafy flavours and aromas, sometimes with a characteristic flavours described as pencil shavings.  They are among my favourite wines. Compared to Bordeaux and other regions, they are ridiculously cheap.

As mentioned last week, the Loire also produces very good rosé wines; the best-known is Rosé d’Anjou, which tends to be off-dry. JNwine.com has a good range of well-priced Loire reds and rosés. Searsons has the tasty Chinon Clos des Godeaux (€12.95) and Quintessential (Drogheda) an excellent Saumur-Champigny Domaine des Roches Neuves (€24.50).

BARGAIN WINE

Saumur-Champigny 2015 Plessis–Duval

12.5% (€15)
A delicious light juicy wine filled with crunchy blackcurrant fruits.
Stockists: Marks & Spencer

Saumur Rosé 2016, Bouvet-Ladubet

12.5% (€16.95)
A delicious grown-up rosé with elegant redcurrant and raspberry fruits and a lip-smacking dry finish. Try with salmon.
Stockists: Whelehan’s Wines, Loughlinstown.

Saumur-Champigny “Tuffe” 2014, Ch du Hureau, Organic

13% (€19.50/£13.96)
Classic Cabernet Franc with lovely refreshing red and blackcurrant fruits on nose and palate.
Stockists: JNwine.com.

Saumur-Champigny 2015 Ch de Villeneuve, Organic

13%(€18.00)
Perfect smooth ripe blackcurrant and cassis fruits. A charmer.
Stockists: Le Caveau; Blacrock Cellar; Clontarf Wines; Corkscrew; Green Man Wines; World Wide Wines; Bradleys.

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Midsummer Wines – the red wines of the Loire Valley

Posted by on June 26, 2016

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First published in the Irish Times, Saturday 25th June, 2016

As I write, it is a beautiful bright morning, with sun streaming through the window. This being Ireland, all may have changed by the time you read this, but the last week has been dry and sunny most of the time. These days I tend to drink lighter, lower-alcohol red wines throughout the year. But once the sun comes out, I find it difficult to think about big, beefy red wines.

Once the temperature starts to rise, the red wines of the Loire valley come into their own. Usually low in alcohol, with a mouth-wateringly refreshing bite, they have a lightness and vibrancy that seems to epitomise summer. In fact, virtually all of the Loire wines, white and rosé too, fit the sunny category.

I serve the reds cool, or even lightly chilled, to big up the refreshing acidity. This week, three of four wines hail from the Loire, one from the obscure appellation of Cheverny in Touraine. Here pinot noir is blended with gamay (a Loire version of the rarely seen burgundian “passetoutgrains”) and sometimes cabernet franc too. Gamay and pinot noir from the Loire can be very good, and the region is also home to most of the world’s great cabernet franc, one of my favourite grapes. Even the best wines, from Chinon, Bourgueil and St Nicolas de Bourgueil, are low in alcohol and perfect for summer. Touraine and other areas can also be good, and less expensive too. The key is to buy from a ripe vintage – 2014 was good and 2015 excellent.

Other names to look out for include all forms of Beaujolais, or Mencía-based wines from northwest Spain. From Italy, barbera, dolcetto and valpolicella can fit the bill, but check the alcohol levels before buying. Ideally you want a wine at 12-13 per cent. Cerasuolo di Vittoria is expensive but light and delicious.

Australian pinot noir fits into the same category, as does German spätburgunder. From Austria blaufränkisch and zweigelt are light and tasty. For value options, Chile is now producing some very good pinot noir. Some are a little high in alcohol but should be light in body.

The mere mention of the word lambrusco is enough to bring on a hangover with some wine drinkers. Memories linger. The good guys have always produced delicious wines, none more so than that featured today. Their website suggests you drink this delicious sparkling red at about 14-15 degrees with all manner of charcuterie as well as ravioli and risottos.

The other wines featured today would also be perfect with all forms of cold pork, from ham to salami to patés, chicken dishes, tarts and pies, as well as more full-flavoured fish such as tuna and salmon.

DSCF6528Domaine Bellier 2014, Cheverny
12.5%
£9.99/€14.99

A delicious delicate blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay with seductive light red cherry fruits.

Stockists: jnwine.com

ImageLes Granges 2014, Domaine Baudry, Chinon
12.5%
€19

Delicious lightly peppery crunchy redcurrants and cherries. Yum!

Stockists: Grapevine, Dalkey (onthegrapevine.ie); Red Island, Skerries; Cabot and Co, Westport (cabotandco.com); No.1 Pery Square, Limerick; McCambridges, Galway.

DSCF6624Concerto 2014 Lambrusco Reggiano, Medici Ermete
11.5%
€24.50

Effervescent raspberries and other juicy red fruits. Summer in a glass.

Stockists: Sheridan’s; Mitchell & Son; Green Man Wines.

ImagePinot Noir La Roncière 2014, Val de Loire
12.5%
€14.95

Light, floral and refreshing, with earthy dark cherry fruits. Serve cool.

Stockists: Whelehan’s Wines, Loughlinstown.

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LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE

Posted by on October 17, 2015

Last of the summer wine
Before the nights close in, try some light, fresh and fruity reds
The Irish Times, Sat, Aug 29, 2015, 01:00

It is not quite yet time to stow away the garden furniture for another year, but summer is drawing inexorably to a close. Whether you are heading down to Electric Picnic (see you there at the chocolate and wine matching session in the Theatre of Food?) or (hopefully) just taking in the last few rays, this might be the final opportunity to enjoy summer wines before the dark nights close in. Or is it? If truth be told, I enjoy fresh and fruity wines the whole year round. I love red wine with tuna and salmon, and also with cold meats, charcuterie, chicken and pork. The best red wines for this kind of food are lower in alcohol and lighter in style.

Beaujolais is the first wine that comes to mind, but a glass of cool Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley, chilled if the weather is really hot, is thirst-quenching and satisfying. A few months ago, a wine importer called me up in a state of excitement, boasting that he had sourced a Loire Cabernet with 14.5 per cent alcohol and really ripe fruit. I wondered why he had bothered; the whole raison d’être of these wines are those distinctive just-ripe crunchy redcurrant fruits and that tangy fresh acidity.

A decade ago, many were a little too herbaceous with stalky green flavours, and lacked any fruit on the centre-palate. But the overall quality has improved greatly, while prices have remained amazingly cheap. The very best wines can have austere drying tannins and will evolve wonderfully for a decade or more. But most are primed for drinking the summer following harvest. Fresh and fruity, they would be my ideal bistro wines, thirst-quenching and moreish. Either way, they will be naturally low in alcohol.

Cabernet Franc does not have the sweet succulence of a Pinot Noir; it is more austere and reserved, with higher acidity. Chinon is the best-known region for Cabernet Franc, but Bourgeuil, Saint Nicolas de Bourgeuil, Saumur and Saumur-Champigny, as well as the catch-all region of Touraine all produce very good versions. Saumur-Champigny tends to be the lightest and freshest, Chinon the smoothest and silkiest, while Bourgeuil tends to be earthier and more structured.

Moving across Europe, an alternative source for light red wines is Blaufrankisch. Light in alcohol and tannin, with crunchy blue fruits, they make for brilliant summery drinking. Austria is the best-known producer, but Blaufrankisch is grown all across eastern and central Europe under various names, usually with the word ‘french’ incorporated; Franconia in Italy, Frankovka in Slovakia, Modra Frankinja in Slovenia and Limberger in Germany.

One enterprising Irish couple, Sinéad and Liam Cabot play tag-team winemaking, flitting between Slovenia and Westport. Their 2013 Roka is delicious, and their Reserve (€ 20.99) even more so. I have also tasted some very good Austrian Blaufrankisch from Claus Preisinger (€ 16.50, 64wine) and J Heinrich (€ 18.99, Wines on the Green). I also tried two very good light fruity wines made from Zweigelt, a step-child of Blaurfankisch, from Waltner (€ 16, On the Grapevine) and Preisinger again.

Lidl’s annual French wine sale starts on Monday September 7th. The emphasis is on Bordeaux. My picks would include the following: the light, balanced Ch Vieux Ligat 2010 (€ 9.99), the impressive Ch Maugresin de Clotte 2010 (€ 11.99), and the delightfully spicy Ch Grand Abord 2010 (€ 12.99). Moving up in price, I enjoyed the Ch La Cardonne 2010 (€ 19.99) a classic firm Médoc, the lush spicy Fugue de Nenin 2006 (€ 30) the mature, soft leafy Ch Phélan Ségur 2007 (€ 24.99), and the sweet ripe Virginie de Valandraud 2012 (€ 30). At the top end, the delicious elegant Reserve de la Comtesse 2010 (€ 35) and the nicely mature Ch Poujeaux 2005 (€ 40) were all very tempting as was the luscious marmalade-scented Sauternes, Ch Muras at € 14.99 per bottle.

DSCF5696Chinon Les Graviers, Domaine des Clos Godeaux 2014
13%
€16

A subtle herbiness that goes perfectly with the juicy light red cherry fruits and a tannin-free finish.

Stockists: Searsons, Monkstown.

DSCF5740Bernard Baudry Chinon Les Granges 2014
12.5%
€19

From one of the best producers in Chinon, a delicious light wine with crunchy redcurrant fruits and a piquant edge.

Stockists: On the Grapevine, Dalkey (onthegrapevine.ie); Red Island Wines, Skerries; Cabot and Co, Westport (cabotandco.com); No.1 Pery Square, Limerick; McCambridges, Galway.

DSCF5790Roka Blaufränkisch 2013, Slovenia
12.5%
€15.99

Light and fragrant with free-flowing refreshing dark cherry fruits.

Stockists: On the Grapevine, Dalkey (onthegrapevine.ie); Cabot and Co, Westport (cabotandco.com); No.1 Pery Square, Limerick; McCambridges, Galway.

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