TN: Domaine de la Butte 2005 Bourgueil Mi-Pente

The Domaine de la Butte 2005 Bourgueil Mi-Pente is absolutely awesome wine. While it's undeniably Old World Cab Franc, the structure in some ways reminds me of a high end Nebbiolo. The structure is immense.

Of course, I have to harp on the terroir. This is from the mid-slope (i.e. mi-pente) of a limestone based soil. That's the best exposure of the best soil type in the Loire. And 2005 was an excellent vintage. I suspect this wine can only get better as the structure integrates.

• 2005 Domaine de la Butte Bourgueil Mi-pente - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Bourgueil
  
  
  
  Whoa, this is great Loire Franc. Only drink this now if you can handle some firm, ripe tannins. Nose of walnuts, menthol, celery, violets and macerated black cherries. High acid, big tannic structure--this is built to age. Very fresh red and black fruit up front, then turns more chalky with a peppery undercurrent. Definite minerality and a pleasant bitterness on the finish.
  
  
  
  Opened up with decanting over several hours--needs about an hour to hit its stride though there's a lot of interesting funk as it opens up to enjoy.
  
  

TN: Chanteleuserie 2008 Bourgueil Cuvée Beauvais

I preferred this to the '08 Baudry Grezeaux in my last post. While it's more herbaceous and 'basic' as far as Chinon/Bourgueil go, the balance is much better. At the sub-$20 price point, definitely this is a buy and seems to have upside as well. While this isn't going to light the room on fire right now, I'm very appreciative of the typicity and balance.

On a side note, this is from sloped, tuffeau-based terroir according to Kermit Lynch's blog. While I can't speculate on causation, definitely I'm correlating my Loire Cab Franc preferences strongly with calcareous soil types.

• 2008 Domaine de la Chanteleuserie Bourgueil Cuvée Beauvais - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Bourgueil
  
  
  
  Really nice, very typical Cab Franc. High toned florals are underlined by deeper bass of tobacco aromas with some fresh cherry. Light-medium body with medium acidity. Fresh red fruit on the attack, a little roundness to the middle. There's a definite iron mineral note. Finishes with earthy, savory tobacco and olive. More standard Loire Cab Franc than the '08 Baudry Grezeaux, but balance is much better. Nice dusting of tannins on the finish to firm it all up.
  
  
  
  Edit: Pencil shaving/fresh cedar characteristics (not oak). No impression of sweetness; all savory and fresh.
  
  

TN: A Chinon, a Bourgueil, and a St.-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil

Here are three recent Loire Cab Francs. If you're interested, The Wine Doctor is the go to source on Alliet and Mabileau. I preferred the Alliet Chinon of the three below, but my girlfriend found it to be too barnyardy. I've yet to find a barnyard I didn't like, and for whatever reason it works well in Loire reds. They don't seem to get the off flavors and truly rancid aromas that Brett-infected wines from the New World develop. Just like a washed rind cheese, they are stinky yet still taste delicious. Not that the Mabileaus had no funk, but their structure lagged significantly behind the Alliet.

2006 Philippe Alliet Chinon - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon
Oh yeah, this is the stuff, so true to its Chinon origin. The bouquet is definitely horsey with a sweet horse sweat quality that's fairly dominant. There are some herbal notes notes, but this is all about the farmyard perfume. On the palate it's medium bodied with excellent structure. Drying but not overwhelming tannins. Juicy acidity. One that draws you back to sip a bit more. It's a food wine, but also a meal in itself as it has savory meaty flavors and a full serving of fruits and veggies. Very minimal oak here, seems quite traditional. Nice finish with some minerality, but really carries on the savory and earthy flavors.

2007 Frederic Mabileau Bourgueil Racines - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Bourgueil
This followed the '06 Alliet Chinon and probably suffered from the comparison. Grassy (typical of '07, especially sand/gravel terroirs), animal funk, berries and cream on the nose. Soft and creamy on the palate with spicy green notes and citric flavors. Easy to drink and while not flabby, had less structure than I'd hoped. This is good, just not as edgy as I like my Loire Franc.

2006 Frederic Mabileau Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Les Rouillères - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil
Bouquet of black cherry, roses, herbal/grassy/tobacco. The herbaceous note seems typical of gravel/sand based Franc. Nice balance on the palate. Medium acid, cherry flavor. Shows earth and olive as well. Mild drying tannin on finish with some medicinal flavor and herbaceous spice. Not much length. Good, right for the price, but not super vibrant or deep. Probably better sooner than later.

WN: Domaine de la Chevalier 1996 Bourgueil Les Galichets

A 13 year old Bourgueil? Yes: Domaine de la Chevalier 1996 Bourgueil Les Galichets. So what if Cab Franc isn't considered an aging wine like Cabernet Sauvignon. Terroir usually trumps the grape variety anyway. I doubt many mid-priced Cali Cabs are much good at 13 years.

Upon first pour, what I noticed was how mellow the flavors were, yet at the same time lively. There was very refreshing acidity, which explains the vitality, along with mature tannins. While the wine showed plenty of raspberry and currant-like fruit, a refined herbaceousness had the largest impact on the wine's profile. The nose had a grassy aroma that I've tasted before in both Bourgueils and Chinons (more on this later). Additionally, the finish showed a spicy herbaceousness on the finish that was unique and delicious. Some wines have medicinal, herbal flavors, but this was different. It was pure and lingering instead of muddy and overbearing. Although there was a little leather, it was a relatively small component given the age and appellation. This wine was more than just hanging on at 13 years. It was in its prime, well-resolved yet very much alive.

What really sticks out to me is the particular 'brand' of herbaceousness in this cuvée. This grassy aroma, with an odd hint of lemon zest, showed up almost identically in the 2007 Baudry Les Granges and 2007 Breton Galichets. Galichets translates to gravel, and all three of these wines were made from fruit grown on gravel terroir. (I am uncertain if the Breton and Chevalier Galichets are the same vineyard, or simply the same soil type). I'm beginning to think this particular herbaceousness is unique to Cab Franc grown in gravel. I've commented previously that I prefer the limestone and clay terroirs more, and I think it's because the innate green nuance of the variety shows differently, more as fresh tobacco and bell pepper than cut grass.

So why did I like this aged Chevalier Galichets more than the young Breton Galichets? I'm not certain, but the aging has rounded the edges off. In particular, the herbaceousness seemed more refined and mellow instead of biting and intense. Although this wasn't my favorite style of Franc, it was a really nice find at peak maturity with excellent provenance for the price.

Pros: Mellow Herbaceousness, Medium Body, Lively Acidity & Fruit, Mature Tannins, Balanced
Cons: A Bit Grassy
Decant: Maybe, not much development
Price: $25 from Vinfolio
QPR: Fair/Good (out of Poor, Mediocre, Fair, Good or Excellent with Fair denoting expectations were met for the price point)

TN: Domaine de la Butte 2007 Pied de la Butte

The Domaine de la Butte 2007 Pied de la Butte is the second wine I've tried from this producer, with the first being a 2006 from a different portion of the Domaine's vineyards. I enjoyed the 2006 Perrieres, but the Pied de la Butte sees no barrel aging and is from the potentially tougher 2007 vintage.

The verdict: I really liked this wine. The nose is very green, as was the case with two other 2007s I've tried from the Loire Valley, but it came across as fresh tobacco, not weediness. Maybe I was in the right mood this time, or maybe this was a different sort of green than the other 2007s showed. Either way, it seemed to fit. The palate also seemed better balanced, with the high acidity offset by deeper berry flavors. In fact, the wine tasted slightly off-dry to me, a balancing technique often employed with high-acid white wines. Since the vigneron Jacky Blot is known primarily for his Chenin Blanc, which is made in a variety of styles with residual sugar, I wouldn't be surprised if he left a little RS to offset the tart acids. The finish rounded everything out with more earthy bitterness, tobacco and a dose of young tannins.

While not a deep wine, I enjoyed the mix of greenness, richness and freshness. At $16, this would be a re-buy for me. It might even be an interesting experiment in aging to see if the fresh tobacco takes on more of a cigar-like quality in time. If age dries out fruit flavors, why not tobacco flavors as well? Aging questions aside, Domaine de la Butte is on my "buy on sight" list now.

Pros: Tobacco, Rich Yet Acidic, Earthy Finish
Cons: One-Dimensional Bouquet
Decant: Yes, tons of sediment in bottle
Price: $16 from K&L Wines
QPR: Good/Excellent (out of Poor, Mediocre, Fair, Good or Excellent with Fair denoting expectations were met for the price point)

WBW #62: Catherine et Pierre Breton 2007 Bourgueil Le Galichets

With the theme of this Wine Blogging Wednesday being "A Grape By Any Other Name," my natural inclination given that my blog is Cabernet Franc based is to write about Breton from the Loire Valley in France. My wine choice: Catherine et Pierre Breton 2007 Bourgueil Le Galichets. Just to clarify, Cab Franc is called Breton in the Loire, while the Bretons are well-respected vintners based largely in Bourgueil, a village in the Loire. Even if I don't get bonus points for this double, certainly the Bretons do for working with their namesake grape. And just to add another potential layer of confusion, the wine is labeled by the Bourgueil appellation where only Cabernet Franc is grown. Although Cabernet Franc is written on the label of this bottle, typically Bourgueils are simply labeled by their appellation, not their varietal.

In many ways this is a typical Loire Breton/Cabernet Franc, but it is not necessarily the best exponent of the varietal. Its most obvious difficulty is its bracing acidity. While this paired nicely with goat cheese (spread on the Breton crackers pictured above, leading to a rare Breton producer/wine/food triple play)--creamy foods and acidic wines generally have a nice synergy--by itself the wine has a sour streak. I'm no huge fan of cocktail wines that are meant solely to drink without food, but a food-only wine is equally limiting in its own way. On the other hand, the dry finish, lighter body and dusty tannins do make the wine fairly approachable and versatile as a partner to food. Another barrier is not-so-subtle herbaceousness on the nose. While there are complex cured meat and subtle cherry aromas, a distinct weediness going beyond dried herbs or even bell pepper is prominent. Jeff of Viva La Wino enjoyed this particular cuvée from the Bretons, but this experience is more similar for me to my other recent 2007 Loire venture. 2007 was a challenging vintage, and it does seem that perhaps the fruit is evanescent as others tasting the same wines found them less green several months ago. Thus, I'm rather pessimistic about the 2007s in general.

I must say I'm not a big proponent of this style of Cabernet Franc. Green is good, but without fruit or other complementary aromas, it is rather monolithic. Deeper, more structured wines seem capable of carrying more herbaceous qualities. But in a lighter bodied, crisp wine like this one, simple fruit is preferable. One other factor worth noting is that the closure used is a synthetic cork. I'm not a big fan of these as they're the worst option available for long-term aging due to high oxygen ingress. I don't see much benefit to aging this particular wine, though, so the point is rather moot. If the intent is a drink-young wine, then the rubber stopper is a good choice since there's no chance of TCA contamination.

Pros: Approachable Tannins, Light Body, Food-Friendly
Cons: Herbaceous, High Acid
Decant: Maybe
Price: $19 from K&L Wines
QPR: Mediocre (out of Poor, Mediocre, Fair, Good or Excellent with Fair denoting expectations were met for the price point)

WN: Domaine de la Butte 2006 Les Perrières

Back to my comfort zone: a Cabernet Franc from Bourgueil. The producer is Domaine de la Butte, which was acquired in 2002 by Jacky Blot according to the blog Jim's Loire. Apparently Jacky Blot had previously produced only white and rosé wines, though judging from this bottle, he's doing great work with his reds as well.

The Domaine de la Butte 2006 Les Perrières is one of four cuveés that Blot produces. The basic bottling is Le Pied de la Butte, which comes from the portion of the vineyard with the lowest quality. Les Perriéres, meanwhile, is a notch above Le Pied de la Butte, but a notch below Le Haut de la Butte in the pecking order. The best section of the vineyards produces Mi Pente. If you're interested, the above link to Jim's Loire provides significantly more information on the exposure and soil that define each of these sites in the vineyard. But the context here is most important: this is a mid-priced, mid-level wine. Anyone can make a great wine for $50 per bottle buying top fruit, selling off barrels of wine in bulk that didn't turn out as desired, and hiring expensive consultants, but it's the really excellent producers who can put together a worthwhile wine in the $15-$25 range.

I must admit, the flavor profile and aromatics of this wine are exactly what I like in just about any wine. There's a certainly clarity and purity of fruit expression on the palate, yet the bouquet offers a variety of aromas that make you think "how'd that get in the bottle?" Most prominent on the nose is a big whiff of leather. There's also a bit of tar as well as some sweeter notes of blackberry and tobacco. One is hard pressed to find any hint of herbaceousness here, which is somewhat disappointing in the context of a Loire Cab Franc. But the funky elements provide the desired complexity, preventing the wine from being entirely fruit driven like some ripe Loire reds can be.

There's a certain New World quality to the sweetly berried palate. There also seems to be a hint of oak flavor that adds a little astringency to the finish, yet nicely rounds out the wine as a whole. The finish has a very intense dark chocolate and coffee component, which I've also tended to find more often in California wines based on Bordeaux varietals with a fair amount of oak influence. What makes this work so well, though, is the contrast of the sweeter fruit with the bitterness on the finish. It's absolutely delicious. The body, acidity and tannins are all moderate at this point making this an enjoyable wine to drink in its relative youth.

This is a wine with a heart of darkness. Dark fruit, dark smells, and dark flavors. Yet there's also a degree of refined elegance to it. It's not rustic, nor is it a bruising wine that envelops the drinker with power. It's an excellent wine that's also a superb value, and certainly suggests Domaine de la Butte is a producer to seek out in the future.

Score: 89-92
Price: $22 from Wine Library

WN: Frederic Mabileau 2006 Les Rouilleres

From the moment I poured the Frederic Mabileau 2006 Les Rouilleres into my decanter, I had a positive feeling this was going to be a delicious, fun wine: there was that unmistakable sweet, sweaty aroma of farm animals. No, a sheep hadn't pooped in the wine. This was wine with some serious in your face Brettanomyces funk. Definitely not a wine for everyone, especially if you like your wine as processed as Velveeta cheese, but the bouquet conjured up an image of picking ripe cherries in a country orchard with jasmine simultaneously in full bloom, some dry underbrush under foot, and a horse stable a few hundred meters in the distance.

But let me take a step back before I wax poetic further about why such a seemingly idiosyncratic wine is so very very right. Frederic Mabileau is a producer based in Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgeil, a small appellation in the Loire Valley across the Loire River from Chinon and adjacent to Bourgueil to its the west. The Loire Valley is to Cabernet Franc what Burgundy is to Pinot Noir. If you want authentic Cab Franc, the Loire is the go-to option.

Of course, if you can't stand Brett, the Loire might not be your preferred destination. But the interesting quality I've found in several Loire Cab Francs is that the animale funk is entirely in the bouquet; the flavor of the wine remains unspoiled. Often times a funky nose is simply a precursor to similar shenanigans on your palate. But this was not the case with the '06 Rouilleres. As usual, the rustic nose gave way to a clean, cherry-driven attack with moderate acidity and just enough tannin to sustain the finish. This is an aromatic wine with floral qualities in the driver's seat, and livestock, herbs and ripe berries in the backseat that nonetheless has the body and even elegance to seduce.

And if that's not enough intrigue, there's also an utter lack of oak worth highlighting. A disturbing proportion of American red wines are simply abused with oak to the point that the vanillin leached from the barrel dominates every other aroma and flavor. Some folks get it right and treat oak like one would treat salt while cooking, as a seasoning to complement other flavors. Ideally, oak adds a bit to the aromatics while also adding some tannins for structure and to lengthen the finish. But far too many producers simply oak the crap out of everything in sight, then ask questions later. Well, Mabileau didn't mess around with this cuvee: it was aged in stainless steel and bottled only lightly filtered. What you get is the pure fruit in all of its glory with whatever Brett decides to tag along in the bottle for the cross Atlantic trip. This wine absolutely oozes character and craftsmanship, and is also a great value. Superb stuff that somehow manages to be both rustic and polished simultaneously.

Score: 90-92
Price: $14 from Winelibrary