Big Love for Loire

BY JASON WILSON | JULY 16, 2020

The appreciation of Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley seems to split along generational lines. Boomers and older Gen X drinkers have often been skeptical of reds from Chinon, Bourgueil and Saumur-Champigny, where the grape is predominant. That’s because Cabernet Franc in the Loire can produce a rather savory wine; one that runs counter to the sort of big, ripe, fruity, hedonistic bottles older consumers have preferred over the last several decades.

Thankfully, things are changing. First of all, a taste for more savory wines is spreading among younger drinkers, who also prefer reds with higher acidity, lower alcohol, more earthiness and less oak. Loire Cabernet Franc ticks all those boxes. Not surprisingly, younger wine professionals have strongly embraced the wines. Consumers and professionals alike are looking for drinkable wines that pair better with the changing ways many of us now eat - less meat, more vegetables and less focus on cuisines of old Europe. Of course, in France, Loire reds have always been the classic, everyday bistro wines.

Casks in the cellar at Domaine de le Noblaie in Chinon

The Loire Today

The Loire wine scene is full of youthful energy. “Loire is very exciting,” said Émeline Calvez of Domaine Bobinet, a favorite of natural wine lovers. “You can find a lot of interesting young people who are reinventing things.” It’s no surprise that the region has also become an epicenter of the organic, biodynamic and natural winemaking that appeals to a younger generation. In Saumur-Champigny, about one-third of the producers are now certified organic. Even a large producer like Langlois-Chateau in Saumur (part of the Bollinger group) will be certified organic for the 2020 harvest. 

Loire reds don’t loudly announce themselves or smack you over the head. Again, a certain fresh, savory element is part of the appeal. Yes, that means Cabernet Franc here can evoke green or vegetal notes, such as fresh herb, tobacco leaf, jalapeño and – when it’s bad – bell pepper. But when it’s good, there is also plenty of red fruit and often an attractive underlying meatiness. Frequently the fruit veers in the direction of tomato or olive. Great Loire reds have thrilling acidity, lively tannins and unique dark minerality, and often notes of black pepper, graphite, pencil shavings and iron.

Tasting with Matthieu Bernard at Bernard Baudry in Chinon

Over the past decade, quality in the region has taken a huge leap forward. “Cabernet Franc didn’t have a good image in the past,” said Matthieu Baudry of Domaine Bernard Baudry in Chinon. “Because there was a time when the yields were too high. But today, 90% of the growers do much better yield control, and the wines are much more elegant.”

Still, it’s a rough-hewn sort of elegance. “Cabernet Franc is a rustic variety,” said Thierry Germain of Domaine des Roches Neuves in Saumur-Champigny. “It’s vegetal, it’s volatile, and it’s important to work around that.”