Wines

93 Points! The Duemani 2021 Cabernet Franc CiFRA is an entry-level wine that punches above its weight class (and its price point). This organic and biodynamic wine reveals dark, purplish fruit with a soft texture and velvety quality. It is layered with fresh blackberry, plum and tobacco, but the energy of the primary fruit is what stands out in this classic vintage. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

Founded directly above the San Andreas Fault, DeRose Vineyards is located in one of the most active earthquake areasin the World. Furthermore, it is one of only a few wineries anywhere to have a major fissure dissecting its wine cellars. DeRose has vineyards on both sides of the infamous fault. Soils east of the break contain fragmented granite and crumbled sandstone while those on the west side are mostly granite and limestone. Some blocks lie precisely above the line, their tilled surfaces concealing the fissure far below. Cabernet Franc grows east of the fault in loosely packed loam where the drainage is excellent.

A temperamental grape variety in many locations, Cabernet Franc thrives on the DeRose estate, creating heavily extracted wines with wonderful viscosity. Winemaker Pat DeRose prunes each vine in the winter and later exposes the grapes to beneficial sunlight with careful leaf removal. Clusters are thinned after veraison to attain proper vine balance.

90 Points! Supple and vibrant, with aromatic orange blossom, peach and cantaloupe accents that glide on the finish. Drink now. - Wine Spectator

90 Points! A fresh and fruity white with aromas of sliced apples, fresh pears, lemons and peach pits. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity and a clean, bright palate. Juicy peach notes. Sustainable. Drink now. Screw cap. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! Based on 81% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Malbec, the 2021 Cabernet Franc sports a vivid purple hue to go with impressive aromatics of cassis, black raspberries, spring flowers, and chocolaty oak. It's medium-bodied and has a supple, elegant mouthfeel, fine tannins, and a great finish. A beautiful wine, it might even be better in another year or two as it integrates its oak. Regardless, it's a terrific value that I'd happily drink any time over the coming 8-10 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

92 Points! A rich and fruity cabernet franc with creamy berries, vanilla and sweet oak spices on the nose. Medium body with plush tannins. Creamy berries and mocha on the palate with dried herbs and cedar in the finish. Try after 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

From the importer: Originating from vines planted on clay and chalk (tuffeau) soil, this wine offers the distinctive character of Cabernet Franc: deep and bright ruby color, fine aromas of red fruits (red current, cherry) and floral subtleties (violet, iris), fine and velvety tannin, with a fresh and balanced finish. Best served below room temperature (14 to 16º C), Clos des Cordeliers Cuvée Tradition is at its prime when young and is the perfect companion for cold meats, roasted meats, grilled fish and cheese.

94 Points! Sweet tobacco, currants and white pepper here, with a red-chili note. Medium-to full-bodied with seamless, ripe tannins on the palate. Flavorful, yet elegant. Extremely well made. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Against all odds, the 2020 Cabernet Franc, from a warm and dry year, feels fresher and more harmonious than the two other vintages I tasted next to it, the cooler 2019 and 2021. It contains some 10% Malbec that fermented together with the Cabernet Franc, which feels very integrated and softened the tannins that feel velvety but without losing grip. It spent 15 months in ancient oak foudres, and the oak feels very integrated. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

94 Points! The 2018 Cabernet Franc Family, aged in 25% new oak (Vicard and Mercurey cooperages) for 18 months, easily possesses the finest nose of the three Cabernet Francs that I tasted from Raats, with soaring red berry fruit laced with bell pepper, powdered dark chocolate and gravel. The fresh, vibrant palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, fine acidity and a very precise and sustained finish. This is an outstanding Cabernet Franc. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

Benoît et Celine Blet cultivate 10 hectares of biodynamically farmed vineyards in Oiron (département Deux-Sèvres in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, about 50 kilometers south of Saumur) that are planted with Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Gamay de Bouze. The domaine was founded in 2004, and I am always blown away by the huge personality of the wines that will be even finer and more complex after some years in the bottle. This is one of my favorite Loire producers, but unfortunately, I have never managed to visit the domaine. - Stephan Reinhardt, robertparker.com

97 Points! The darkly alluring 2020 Cabernet Franc Poggio de' Colli takes its time in the glass, slowly awakening with a dusty mix of red currants, pepper-tinged rose, exotic curries and the slightest touch of animal musk that adds gravitas. This is velvety smooth yet finessed. It's cool-toned in feel with a potent wave of tart raspberry fruits that saturates the palate with savory spice and mineral tones. It leaves a coating of fine tannins and a staining of berry concentration through the finale, tapering off sapid and long, yet perfectly balanced. What a radiant vintage for the Poggio de' Colli, Piaggia's varietal Cabernet Franc. Revisit it in five years to see some real sparks fly. - Eric Guido, Vinous Media

96 Points! The 2019 Bel Canto is more Cabernet Franc-dominated and includes 17% Merlot. While it doesn't match the 2018, it's a beauty offering impressive redcurrant and spiced plum fruits, notes of spicy oak, dried flowers, and leafy herbs, medium to full body, a pure, seamless, gorgeous texture, and ultra-fine tannins. It's just a stunning Cabernet Franc from Washington State that offers incredible pleasure today given its balance and texture yet will evolve for 20+ years. 290 cases. - Jeb Dunnuck

Hey, we are as picky about Oregon Pinot Blanc as we are about everything else. Yes, it is crisp, bright, and fresh, as they are expected to be. The surprise here was that there was fruit (apple, pear, citrus), texture, and some character as well. It is a small thing that makes a huge difference within the category. It's not a genre that typically moves us. Suffice it to say it's a big deal for us to actually talk about it. Can't remember the last time that happened. This one should make some friends.  As a bonus, it's also priced as an everyday go-to ($16.98).

50+ year-old vines!

Excitign stuff! From the importer: Domaine de Closiers is the vision of Anatole de la Brosse, who, prior to heading one of the world’s largest management consulting firms, had trained as an enologist. Eventually, Anatole decided to leave consulting and return to his first passion. He was able to acquire Domaine des Closiers, an historic property in Parnay, in the heart of Saumur-Champigny, in 2018. The estate’s name derives from the vineyard workers who once inhabited the ancient caves carved into its hillsides.

Because much of Saumur-Champigny is relatively flat, the wealth of slopes in Parnay, and Closiers in particular, sets it apart. This is especially true of the Les Coudraies climat, but extends to many of the estate’s holdings. The estate’s vines also average over 35 years of age, giving further credence to Anatole’s belief in Closiers’ potential.

To fully realize this potential, he enlisted two of the Loire Valley’s most celebrated names. The first, Michel Chevré, of Clos de l’Ecotard, earlier worked side-by-side with Thierry Germain as they developed a pioneering biodynamic regime. Michel has helped develop a similar program tailored to Closiers’ diverse terroirs.

The second name is even better known: Nady Foucault, who, with his late brother Charly, made Clos Rougeard one of the towering icons of French wine. Nady’s wealth of experience helped guide Closiers’ winemaking team from the beginning, and the wisdom of that decision became readily apparent with the inaugural 2019 vintage.

Belonging to the Duveau Family since 1835 (six generations) and now run by Patrice and his son Remy, the Famille Duveau vineyard spreads over 50 hectares (123.5 acres) in Saint-Cyr en Bourg and Bréz to the South of the Loire river. Perfect, so reputed and ideal terroirs for the Cabernet-Franc in St. Cyr en Bourg, and the Chenin in Breze. The terroir of limestone-clay soil and sub soils called “Tuffeau” make this area extremely propitious for the cultivation and maturation of the Cabernet Franc (good drainage of water and quickly warming up). Within the vineyard conducted under Sustainable Agriculture principles, 100% green covering and also leaves’ removing is performed when necessary. After harvesting, a very precise hand selection of the grapes is done on a sorting table, just before the destemming, and then the wine undergoes thermoregulated maceration in stainless tanks for 14 to 18 days. The wine is then aged 10 months in tanks before 100% of the Saumur Champigny production is bottled at the estate, unfined and unfiltered.

92 Points #55 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2017! A mouthwatering Pinot Gris, with exotic notes of papaya and grated coconut accenting the peach, anise and almond blossom flavors. Sleek acidity focuses this through to the spicy, mineral-tinged finish. Drink now through 2029. - Wine Spectator