Clos Cristal Cabernet Franc Saumur-Champigny 2008
Cabernet Franc
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Wine
Enthusiast
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Product Details
Varietal
Producer
Vintage
2008
Size
750ML
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
100% Cabernet Franc from 40 year old vines.
Single 10 hectares (25 acres) vineyard giving low yields. The wine is 100% tank fermented. A
landmark in the region, property of the Hospices de Saumur since 1928. Antoine Cristal,
founder, was the first to bring Cabernet Franc to the Loire valley.
The dark, black fruit aromas are held in a firmly tannic grip, and the acidity is fresh and lively, and the wine depth and concentration suggest further development.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Initially earthy, this needs a few minutes to blossom into an elegant, structured wine, with black cherry flavors, firm dry tannins and a smooth finish.
Since 1928, Saumur Hospital has owned the 10 hectares (25 acres) of vineyard growing
Cabernet Franc grapes bequeathed by Antoine Cristal. The Clos Cristal is historically symbolic
for Saumur wine growers, not only because its creator was the first to develop red wines in
Saumur, but also because in about 1900, he conceived of an ingenious project. He built three
kilometers (2 miles) of walls along which, and through which, the vines grow. Close to he walls,
the vine takes advantage of the heat accumulated by the stone, which enables a greater level of
ripeness in the fruit.
The main objective in the way that the vineyard is run and the vinification is performed is to produce, naturally, a concentrated and expressive wine.
Each year Clos Cristal produces a principal vintage, and another one during the best years only, made exclusively from grapes picked alongside the wall, called “The Wall.”
FBVW1416_08_2008 Item# 108385