Cabernet Franc AOC 2021

A red wine of taut stature. On the nose, blackberry, black cherry and ripe red pointed pepper, underscored by black pepper and sorrel, plus a wild, spicy note of dried meat and dried cherries. The fruit carries intensity without ever turning broad.

The five hectares of Cabernet Franc lie in Ambillou-Château in Anjou, 90 metres above sea level and 120 kilometres from the Atlantic. The soil is silty clay with gravel and red flint over tuffeau. Cool nights and warm days keep the acidity vivid. The estate is named after its former owners Claude and Nelly Pichard; Anne-Claude Leflaive and Christian Jacques bought it in 2008, after three years without wine production.

Single-varietal Cabernet Franc from vines averaging 45 to 55 years old, with a yield of around 40 hectolitres per hectare. The vineyards are treated according to the lunar calendar with biodynamic preparations. Hand-harvested, destemmed, 30 days of maceration with gentle submerging of the cap, then spontaneous fermentation in 228-litre Burgundy barrels.

Taut, with a sinewy body and pronounced extract. The dark fruit rests within silky, firm tannin that gives it contour at the edges of the tongue. Cool acidity, a transparent mid-palate, and a finish where the fruit shimmers within mineral coolness.

With braised lamb shank with paprika tarhonya, with grilled mackerel with paprika-walnut pesto, and vegetarian with grilled peppers and bulgur salad.

Clau de Nell has farmed biodynamically since 2000 and is certified; the label carries the Demeter logo. Cellar master Sylvain Potin, formerly a sommelier, has overseen the wines since 2009, and Christian Jacques has run the estate since Anne-Claude Leflaive's death in 2015. All three of Anne-Claude Leflaive's children work at the domaine. The estate's average vine age is 60 years, with some parcels over a hundred years old.