Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley & Finger Lakes: A Comparative Tasting hosted by Thomas Pastuszak. April 22, 2013 at Red Newt Cellars. Finger Lakes Wine Alliance.

1. CABERNET FRANC FROM THE LOIRE VALLEY &
FINGER LAKES: A COMPARATIVE TASTING

2. THE LOIRE VALLEY: THE GARDEN OF FRANCE

3. BOURGEUIL&CHINON: MEDIEVAL GREATNESS

4. CHATEAU D’AZAY-LE-RIDEAU: GUARDING CHINON

5. BOURGEUIL&CHINON : ROLLING HILLSIDE VINES

6. BOURGEUIL&CHINON : ROLLING HILLSIDE VINES

7. WHERE IS THE LOIRE VALLEY?

8. LOIRE VALLEY SUB-REGIONS

9. GRAPES OF THE LOIRE VALLEY

10. CHINON, BOURGEUIL&ST-NICOLAS DE BOURGEUIL

11. LOIRE VALLEY FACTS & HISTORY
• Considered The Garden of France for its agricultural
richness: 185,000 vineyard acres
• France’s longest river (600 miles+), headwaters in the
Massif Central to its mouth on the Atlantic Coast
• Viticulture dates back to the 1st Century AD
• During the Middle Ages, wines of the Loire Valley were
more highly-regarded than those of Bordeaux or
Burgundy
• In the late-19th Century, the region was crippled by
Phylloxera& the Industrial Revolution
• Today, there is an incredible diversity of red, white,
dessert & sparkling wine styles

12. FOCUS ON TOURAINE
• TOURAINE: the greatest red wine region of the Loire,
focus on Cabernet Franc (a.k.a. Breton)
• REDS: Chinon, Bourgeuil, St-Nicolas de Bourgeuil
• WHITES: Vouvray, Cheverny, Montlouis-sur-Loire
• Viticulture dates back to the 1st Century AD
• During the Middle Ages, wines of the Loire Valley were
more highly-regarded than those of Bordeaux or
Burgundy
• In the late-19th Century, the region was crippled by
Phylloxera& the Industrial Revolution
• Today, there is incredible diversity of red, white &
sparkling wine styles

13. FOCUS ON TOURAINE
• TOURAINE: Latitude 47.25° (FLX is 42.76°)
• Touraine is 300 feet above Sea Level (FLX over 400 feet)
• Annual Rainfall: 27 inches (FLX is closer to 40 inches)
• July Mean Temperature: 67° Fahrenheit (similar to FLX)
• Loire River serves to temper the continental climate
• Chief Viticultural Hazards: Under-ripeness & Fungal
Disease
• Cabernet Franc: red & dark fruit characteristics (though
more in the “Pinot” spectrum), herbal tones, bright
acidity & firm tannins

14. TOURAINE TERROIR

15. TOURAINE TERROIR
• SOIL: Tuffeau, Clay, Varennes
• TUFFEAU: marine sedimentary rock (fossilized sea life &
sand), common on the limestone south-facing slopes,
typically the most promising for deep/age-worthy wines
• VARENNES:sandy, alluvial soil closest to the banks of the
Vienne River
• CHINON & BOURGEUIL – division between
Tuffeau&Varennes soil types
• ST-NICOLAS DE BOURGEUIL – primarily Varennes (lending
a lighter/brighter character to the wines overall)

16. CABERNET FRANC TASTING BREAK-DOWN
LOIRE VALLEY - 6 WINES
#1 - FREDERIC MABILEAU LES ROUILLÈRESST-NICOLAS DE BOURGEUIL 2009
#2 - CATHERINE & PIERRE BRETON BOURGEUILCLOS SÉNÉCHAL 2010
#3 - PHILIPPE ALLIET CHINONVIEILLES VIGNES 2010
#4 - CHARLES JOGUET CHINONCUVÉE DE LA CURE 2009
#5 - OLGA RAFFAULT CHINONLES PICASSES 2007
#6 - OLGA RAFFAULT CHINONLES PICASSES 2002
FINGER LAKES - 4WINES
#1 - RED NEWT CELLARS CABERNET FRANC 2010
#2 - FOX RUN CABERNET FRANC 2010
#3 - DAMIANI CABERNET FRANC RESERVE 2010
#4 - BLOOMER CREEK CABERNET FRANC 2007

17. #1 - FREDERIC MABILEAU LES ROUILLÈRES
ST-NICOLAS DE BOURGEUIL 2009
• Sand & Gravel Varennes Soil
• 35-year-old Cabernet Franc vines, nearly
70 acres under vine, founded 1991
• Yield: approx. 2.5 tons/acre, manual
harvesting
• Les Rouillèresis his original 50 acre site
• Converting to organics since 2007
• Cold maceration (10 days) in stainless
steel, pumping-over (no punching-down),
bottled in the spring following harvest,
seeking a decidedly fresh/bright style
• 2009 Vintage – a generous, warm & long
vintage for the Loire Valley, great ripeness
• $20 RETAIL

18. #2 - CATHERINE & PIERRE BRETON BOURGEUIL CLOS SÉNÉCHAL 2010
• Husband & Wife Team, founded 1982
• Organic since 1991, introducing
biodynamic practices since 1994
• Nearly 30 acres under vine (including a
touch of Chenin Blanc), produce 6,700cs
• ClosSénéchal – parcel of Clay soil over
Tuffeau, one of their top 2 wines, 40 year
old Cabernet Franc, 3-acre site
• Maceration in open wood vats,
fermentation & aging in old foudres,
bottled without fining/filtering after 18
months, little to no sulfites added
• 2010 Vintage – warm, dry & consistent,
great ripeness like 2009, though a bit
more acidity/freshness retained
• $30 RETAIL

19. #3 - PHILIPPE ALLIET CHINON VIEILLES VIGNES 2010
• Took over family domaine in 1978
• Inspired by great reds of Bordeaux &
Burgundy, seeking “cleaner” style
• Practicing lutteraisonnée (“reasoned
struggle”); no chemical treatments
• 60 year old Cabernet Franc Vines, from a
gravel/sand-rich Varennessite, 2 tons/acre
• Manual harvest, 100% destemmed,
cement tank vinification for 3-4 weeks
• 18 months’ aging in 5 year old barrels
bought from Chateau Latour&Margaux
• $30 RETAIL

20. #4 - CHARLES JOGUET CHINON CUVÉE DE LA CURE 2009
• Domaine founded 1957
• Charles realized the specificity of the
various terroirs his family owned and
pioneered single-vineyard bottlings in
Chinon, inspired by the Crus of Burgundy
• Practicing lutteraisonnée (“reasoned
struggle”); no chemical treatments
• 35 year old Cabernet Franc Vines, from a
gravel/clay-rich 5-acre site
• Manual harvest, 100% de-stemmed, 5-day
cold maceration, 15-day ferment
• Malolactic fermentation followed by 12
months’ aging in 4-year old barrels
• $25 RETAIL

21. #6 - OLGA RAFFAULT CHINON LES PICASSES 2007 & 2002
• Domaine is 4 generations old, Olga’s
granddaughter Sylvie currently runs it
• Exceptional terroirs, in particular the 50-
year old Les Picasses Cabernet Franc
vineyard, planted on a site of alluvial clay
with Tuffeau base
• Practicing lutteraisonnée (“reasoned
struggle”); no chemical treatments
• Manual harvest, 25-30
maceration/fermentation in stainless steel,
followed by 2-3 years’ aging in older oak
barrels
• 2007 Vintage: somewhat inconsistent, cool
summer, warm September - $25 RETAIL
• 2002 Vintage: warm/generous vintage
overall, above-average - $30 RETAIL

22. #1 - RED NEWT CELLARS CABERNET FRANC 2010
• For red varietals, a focus on Cabernet
Franc
• 10% Whole-Cluster Fermentation in
Stainless Steel
• Producing several single-vineyard
expressions, as well as this non-reserve
Cabernet Franc
• Punch-downs by hand, aging in new &
older American Oak barrels
• 600 cases produced
• Smaller production of Single-Vineyard Cab
Francs
• $20 RETAIL

23. #2 - FOX RUN CABERNET FRANC 2010
• Cabernet Franc from Blocks 6 & 8, Seneca
Lake West Side
• Harvested October 2nd& 18th, 21.8-22.7
Brix
• Machine-harvest, crushed into open-top
steel fermenters
• Mixture of French & American Oak barrels
aging for 15 months (bottled June 2011)
• 200 cases produced
• $20 RETAIL

24. #3 - DAMIANI CABERNET FRANC RESERVE 2010
• 4-barrel selection of Cabernet Franc, fruit
from the Damiani Vineyard (Seneca Lake,
East Side)
• Harvested at 25.4 Brix
• Aged in 20% New American Oak for 3
months
• Followed by 80% 1yr Old French Oak
barrels (total cellaring 9 months)
• $40 RETAIL

25. #4 - BLOOMER CREEK CABERNET FRANC 2007
• Cabernet Franc from Ovid: Morehouse
Road Vineyard (15 year old vines) &Auten
Vineyard (20 year old vines)
• Some spontaneous fermentation, some
induced fermentation, all open-top; 1-2
week macerations (partial stem inclusion)
• Mixture of barrels, mainly French oak,
aging until July 2008
• Bottled with no stirring or racking, light
filtration
• $20 RETAIL

26. CABERNET FRANC TASTING BREAK-DOWN
LOIRE VALLEY - 6 WINES
#1 - FREDERIC MABILEAU LES ROUILLÈRESST-NICOLAS DE BOURGEUIL 2009
#2 - CATHERINE & PIERRE BRETON BOURGEUILCLOS SÉNÉCHAL 2010
#3 - PHILIPPE ALLIET CHINONVIEILLES VIGNES 2010
#4 - CHARLES JOGUET CHINONCUVÉE DE LA CURE 2009
#5 - OLGA RAFFAULT CHINONLES PICASSES 2007
#6 - OLGA RAFFAULT CHINONLES PICASSES 2002
FINGER LAKES - 4WINES
#1 - RED NEWT CELLARS CABERNET FRANC 2010
#2 - FOX RUN CABERNET FRANC 2010
#3 - DAMIANI CABERNET FRANC RESERVE 2010
#4 - BLOOMER CREEK CABERNET FRANC 2007