For a long time I've had a soft spot for the wines of the Loire. Muscadet, although still not as popular for accompanying seafood as, say, Albariño or Picpoul has improved considerably since I first encountered it on exchange visits to Nantes in the 1970s. I much prefer Loire Sauvignon Blanc to more strident versions from New Zealand. A Chenin Blanc from the central Loire is a good choice when you're seeking something a little less mainstream, and a decent Crémant de Loire is as good as any other French crémant if you need a well-priced 'traditional method' alternative to more pricey champagne. As to the reds from this region I recognise a glass of Gamay can be a decent drink to sip sat on a bar terrace in Tours, but it is the 100% Cabernet Franc reds that really get me drooling. I have been a long term fan of these red wines and am always interested when I see them at a fair price (Les Nivières Saumur at Waitrose has been consistently good and the Saumur-Champigny Tradition Clos des Cordeliers, Domaine Ratron from The Wine Society is a good shout). However, to be honest, the best Loire Cabernet Francs I've tasted this year were bought in France, although nowhere near their place of origin near the banks of the Loire.
The first discoveries were found in the southwest of France in Toulouse at the popular Le 5 Wine Bar. (So popular in fact that it held the accolade 'Meilleur Bar à Vin du Monde' 2017-2019!) This is a restaurant and tapas bar with an extensive wine list but also has a number of enomatic wine dispensers from which you can taste a wide range of wines.
My eyes landed on a couple of Loire Cabernets in the enomatic dispenser from Domaine Moly. This wine business is very much the passion project of Etienne Moly and his wife Aurelia who gave up successful jobs in sales and marketing in California and New Zealand to return to France in 2020 to become wine producers. They found a property and bought up small parcels of land in the villages around Saumur where they currently produce two Cabernet reds and one Chenin Blanc.
Domaine Moly Saumur Rouge La Nomade 2022, 13.5%
The grapes for 'La Nomade' come from vines approximately 20 year old growing on predominantly clay soils. After vinification the wine is aged in oak for 12 months and results in a medium-bodied, well-balanced 'modern' Cabernet Franc. With pronounced red fruit aromas, concentrated berry flavours and modest tannins the result is a pleasurable easy drinking wine.
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| Domaine Moly Saumur Rouge La Nomade 2022 |
Domaine Moly Saumur Champigny Les Sybarites 2022, 13.5%
We were lucky on that night in Toulouse because the bottle of La Nomade above ran out on the enomatic dispenser while we were there but luckily the bottle that replaced it was 'Les Sybarites' 2022 from the same producer. If anything this is a more refined and elegant wine than its predecessor. This is due to being made from the oldest cabernet vines on the estate which are 40 years old and grown on lighter and finer soils. In addition, pre-bottling it is aged in older and larger oak barrels. The result is a really impressive wine with a beautiful depth of aroma and really concentrated flavours.
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Domaine Moly Saumur Champigny Les Sybarites 2022 on dispenser in Le 5 Wine Bar
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Domaine Des Roches Neuves Saumur Champigny 2023, 12.5%
The other standout Loire Cabernet Franc I've come across this year falls under the Saumur Champigny appellation too and was also purchased in France. But whereas the Domaine Moly wines were encountered 500km south of Saumur in Toulouse this final discovery was made pretty much 500km north of the Loire valley. We happened to be spending a couple of days just over the Channel in the beautiful town of Montreuil Sur Mer, no longer 'sur mer' but about 20km inland from Le Touquet. It's well worth a stopover, not least to walk the medieval ramparts encircling the town and other attractions include an excellent cheese shop - Fromagerie Caseus in the main square and a long-established wine merchant near the castle - Vinophilie. It was in the latter that I took a punt on three Loire reds including Domaine Des Roches Neuves Saumur Champigny 2023
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Domaine Des Roches Neuves Saumur Champigny 2023 |
Again 100% Cabernet Franc, this is the entry level wine of one of the most talented winemakers in the Loire, Thierry Germain, who was voted best winemaker in France in 2011 by the Revue des Vins de France. Being from the most recent vintage it is Cabernet Franc in its simplest form - a young, fruity, fresh biodynamic wine. Medium bodied, it exudes joie de vivre. Ruby red and almost clear, there's red fruit aromas, generous fruit flavours with a slightly smokey finish. Interestingly, Bibendum describes it as "the perfect bistro wine (that goes with every course)!" A most apt description and I can drink to that.
In conclusion, I'm not sure that any of these 3 wines are available in the UK but, in France they seem to retail around the 15-18€ mark which would make them £20 upwards in the UK. On that basis we are unlikely to see them any time soon but, if you happen to be in France (or better still in Saumur), it would definitely be worth seeking them out.
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