2020 Domaine Nicolas Pointeau, Chinon Rouge, Les Tonnelieres, Loire Valley, France.
This surprisingly delicious 100% organic and naturally made Cabernet Franc was a real delight, especially with rustic cuisine, and showed of a depth that was impressive at this price point. This Chinon Rouge from gravelly soils and mature vines, averaging 45 years old, was fermented with native yeasts and aged between 6 and 9 months in some ancient Fûts de Chêne, old small barrels, making for a wine of rustic charm, but with friendly tannins and a full mouth feel. The 2020 vintage was small yielding and a touch ripe in style, adding to the enjoyment of this wine that shows classic Franc blackberry, currant, dark cherry, delicate violets, some bell pepper, cedar, cinnamon and earthy notes. Not an easy find, this Pointeau is imported by The Source and is worthy of a bit of chase.
This was my first experience with the Pointeau wines and I found out from their importer The Source Imports that Nicolas Pointeau, along with his wife Marielle have a small selection of Chinon vines on mainly terraces composed of deep river gravel beds, with some further away from the Loire on the famous tuffeau, the chalky limestone soils that would typically be found in Saumur-Champigny region further to the west. With their Tradition and Tonnelieres bottlings coming from the more gravelly soil parcels.The vineyards of Cabernet Franc and a smaller quantity of Chenin Blanc are all sustainably grown and are organically certified, and their cellar practices, like many of my favorites in the Loire, are old school minimal intervention with all natural fermentations, low sulfur, and aging is done in a mix of steel or neutral 228L French oak barrels. I really enjoyed this wine over the course of an evening and with food and look forward to following this label.
($25 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive