Winemaker Notes
Xavier’s Cabernet Franc comes from two parcels located in the Touraine, Chesnay, and La Rochère. These vines average 30 years old and are planted in clay-limestone soils.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Denser and more introverted than its 2019 counterpart, the 2018 Cabernet Franc opens with aromas of violet, cassis, smoke and dark berries. Medium- to full-bodied, it presents a firmly structured, austere palate with pronounced tannins. Though reserved at this stage, it carries through to a long, persistent finish.
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.
Stretching east along the steep banks of the Loire River, Touraine is a major part of the Middle Loire. Soil variations of clay, sand, tuffeau and gravel throughout its subregions support both white and red varieties. Chinon and Bourgueil remain the source of Loire’s finest Cabernet Franc; various styles of the most outstanding Chenin blanc come from Vouvray and Montlouis.