Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Subtle minerality on the nose, and like Le Clos this is showing roasted meat characters segueing into animal, but fainter than Le Clos. The palate has an even greater sense of purity and clarity of Cabernet Franc expression, with some hints of tobacco coming out in the glass followed by a sense of chocolate to the texture. There’s a greater sense of fine tannins in the background, partly due to oak (one-year-old barriques as opposed to old barriques used for Le Clos). It's less approachable than Le Clos and will need longer to express itself.
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Vinous
The 2018 Les Poyeux offers up a rich, sweet, black-fruited style, which may be more of a reflection of the vintage than the site. It's a lengthy expression, with ripe plum, black cherry a dash of black olive and vanillin signatures of oak maturation. While Les Poyeux tends to be an elegant, delicate style, this is a mouthful, with lots of structure and a long-scented tea-leaf and plum-like finish. While this will be released in early 2024, I would suggest waiting for another two to three years before approaching.
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.
PIN628405_2018 Item# 3032948