Doug hosted our tasting group at his place on Thursday, and put together a really fascinating flight of Cabernet Francs (all served blind in flights of 2). A really interesting lineup to taste blind; my guesses on the first flight were leaning towards Loire Cab Franc, but most of the wines poured later really threw me off (particularly the last two flights). Heck of a lineup Doug; thanks again.
Starting sparkler:
N.V. François Pinon Touraine Sparkling Rosé
Pale salmon-orange in colour; light on its feet with bright pink and white fruited notes, finishing dry but very refreshing with bright effervescence and good acids. Not particularly complex, but very tasty and enjoyable.
Main flight of blind wines:
1989 Domaine de la Chevalerie Bourgueil Busardières
Really lovely aromatics; high toned with bright red fruit, cassis and touches of green pepper; leather and touches of tobacco emerge with a little air and this is really light and polished in the mouth, refreshing with clear, precise fruit and bright acidity.
1986 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses
Lighter than the '89 Bourguiel in colour; bricking at the rim with a fair bit of sediment in the glass. Not quite as enjoyable; red fruit, green pepper and herbal notes here with some strange slightly sweet tomato paste elements that make this a little awkward.
1990 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses
Not for the mild-hearted or brett-averse; wild, sauvage aromatics of leather, meat and barnyard funk and softer red fruits and earthy notes underneath. The flavours are rustic but the texture is anything but; silken and polished with resolved tannins and plenty of lift, really lovely (and the favourite of the night for quite a few).
2002 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses
Really lovely wine combining plenty of bright red and dark fruited flavours and tobacco leaves with the start of developing leathery and earthy elements in an elegant package with gentle tannins and really good presence and length with barely any sense of weight.
2002 Silver Springs Winery Cabernet Franc (Seneca Lake)
Was stunned when this wine was unveiled. A step above most Finger Lakes Cab Francs I've tasted; lovely plummy and black currant flavours with touches of pepper, meaty and leafy notes, very well balanced with good depth and length.
2003 Silver Springs Winery Cabernet Franc
Liked this less than the '02; the fruit is more intense and deeper here, but there's also a more prominent oaky character with strong vanilla elements and a faint vegetal streak underneath.
2005 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses
Packed with youthful dark fruits, cassis and herbal accents, very primary, rich and quite tannic.
2005 Charles Joguet Chinon Les Varennes du Grand Clos
Oof, this is a baby. Very dense and primary, full of rich dark fruited flavours with gravelly and faintly toasty accents over a firm spine of tannins and acids, incredibly young but the balance and structure suggests this has a great future ahead.
Dessert:
1987 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume
Honey and sweet quince and apricot flavours with touches of ginger and lemon, but there's a strange asparagus-like greenness beneath that makes this feel quite pungent and a little awkward, finishing a little astringent and not quite what I'd expect from a QdC.
After the main lineup, Doug pulled a couple of extra bottles from his cellar.
1998 Noël Verset Cornas
Someone liquefied a whole lot of pork. Awesome. Phenomenal smoky and pork broth aromatics leading into a palate that combines faintly saline, proscuitto like notes with black olives, dark fruits and earth in a seamless package. Fantastic precision, balance and length - amazing wine and my favourite of the evening.
2007 Domaine Tissot Poulsard Arbois Vieilles Vignes
Sans soufre bottling, pale red in colour with cherry, strawberry and grapefruit flavours accented by bright peppery and gravel notes. Incredibly light on its feet with really bright acids giving the fruit an incredible sense of clarity and freshness, really complex and layered without any sensation of weight. Lovely wine and really refreshing to drink at the end of the night.