Chevalerie Cuvee 2014 Chevalerie, Cab Franc

Chevalerie’s home vineyards grow on the upper end of the terrace, far inland from the river. Here the soils are relatively heavy with clay and limestone, without much sand, making for mouth-filling Bourgueils. These vineyards are always harvested below 40 hectoliters per hectare (the legal permitted maximum yield is 55 hl/ha). The grapes are harvested by hand into small crates, sorted twice and destemmed but not crushed; the grapes go into vat whole to be fermented with indigenous yeast before aging in vat or in older 400 or 500L barrels for roughly eight months–a relatively short élevage to keep the focus on the intrinsic fruit. They are almost always bottled without fining or filtration. These are deliciously meaty, dense, and astonishingly age-worthy Loire Cabernet Francs.