About this WINE
Patrick Lambert, Chinon
Located in the small village of Cravant les Coteaux, close to Chinon, Patrick Lambert, along with his wife Nadia, began their story in 1990. They now own 6.34ha of 100% Cabernet Franc of up to 60 years old on the classic gravel, sand and limestone soils that flank the river Loire.
They make classic, traditional Chinon, harvested by hand; the Cabernet Franc being macerated on its skins for up to 28 days.nElevage takes place in old foudres, 225 litre French barrels, inside an ancient cellar burrowed deep into the chalk/tufo banks. From vintage 2014 their vineyards will be ECOCERT certified as organic
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is widely planted in Bordeaux and is the most important black grape grown in the Loire. In the Médoc it may constitute up to 15% of a typical vineyard - it is always blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and is used to add bouquet and complexity to the wines. It is more widely used in St.Emilion where it adapts well to the cooler and moister clay soils - Cheval Blanc is the most famous Cabernet Franc wine in the world, with the final blend consisting of up to 65% of the grape.
Cabernet Franc thrives in the Loire where the cooler growing conditions serve to accentuate the grape's herbaceous, grassy, lead pencil aromas. The best wines come from the tuffeaux limestone slopes of Chinon and Bourgeil where growers such as Jacky Blot produce intense well-structured wines that possess excellent cellaring potential.
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Description
Patrick and Nadia Lambert treat us to a delightfully refined and pretty Cabernet Franc from the sunny 2011 vintage which was characterised by a warm September. Drawing on 50 year old vines grown on classic gravel and sand soils that lie adjacent to the Loire tributary of La Vienne, harvested by hand, aged for 12 months in old oak, this medium/full bodied wine shows a vivid purple colour, while there’s a shy but scented nose of violets and blackcurrant leaf, of tight berries.
The palate flows like the nearby Vienne, with gentle, delicate, swooning wild blackberry and watery, crunchy quartz pure minerality, wrapped up exquisitely by Scottish raspberry-like intensity and zip. Benefits in its youth from at least an hour in decanter prior to serving. Drinking 2014 - 2021
David Berry Green
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