Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Saumur Champigny Le Grand Clos was made from grapes picked around the chateau in mid-September of that year, which was a warm vintage. The Cabernet Franc offers a beautiful dark cherry color followed by a pure, fresh and precise, super fragrant bouquet of red fruits. Dense and supple but very elegant on the palate, with fine tannins and an intense and charming finish, this is a round and balanced wine that reflects the sun and the ripeness of the vintage.
Cabernet Franc, a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, is the subtler and more delicate of the Cabernets. Today Cabernet Franc produces outstanding single varietal wines across the wine-producing world. Somm Secret—One of California's best-kept secrets is the Happy Canyon appellation of Santa Barbara. Here Cabernet Franc shines as a single varietal wine or in blends, expressing sumptuous fruit, savory aromas and polished tannins.
Marked by great châteaux built with the same tuffeau limestone that is also responsible for the excavation of so many of the famed Loire caves, Saumur is famous for its Chenin blanc based sparkling wines. Inside the Saumur region, Saumur-Champigny creates some of the Loire’s greatest Cabernet Francs.