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2019 Val de Loire Rouge Grolleau
Catherine & Pierre BretonCatherine and Pierre Breton like to party, and their wines make it easy to party: just one sip feels like an invitation to forget pressing matters and boogie down. Lively, fruit-driven cuveés such as Trinch!, La Dilettante, and Les Galichets have always captured the bon-vivant spirit of these friendly vignerons, but here is a relatively new bottling that, dare I say, boosts the boogie factor completely through the roof.
This wine in the Breton book is a pure old-vine Grolleau from soils of clay and silex. The result of a carbonic maceration in wooden vats, it clocks in at a mere 12% alcohol, and shows its best with a slight chill. Expect hints of pepper, tomato leaf, earth, and an explosion of juicy red fruit like raspberry and cherry, plus other little berries that burst under the tooth with brightly flavored nectar. We expect it to go fast, so don’t miss out on this novelty from our friends in the Loire: drink it frequently, in large quantity, and of course, don’t forget to quaff responsibly.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2019 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Grolleau |
Appellation: | Val de Loire |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Catherine & Pierre Breton |
Winemaker: | Catherine & Pierre Breton |
Vineyard: | 60 years, .8 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone, Silex |
Aging: | Carbonic maceration for 3 weeks in an open-top wood vat, wine is bottled in the April following the harvest |
Farming: | Biodynamic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 12% |
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Fresh and punchy Cabernet Franc from fun-loving Catherine and Pierre Breton. Light, juicy, and ready to go. Drink young, drink chilled, drink plenty.
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Bottled without any sulfur whatsoever, here is a seriously playful Cab Franc from the masters of vinous fun.
About The Producer
Catherine & Pierre Breton
About The Region
Loire
The defining feature of the Loire Valley, not surprisingly, is the Loire River. As the longest river in France, spanning more than 600 miles, this river connects seemingly disparate wine regions. Why else would Sancerre, with its Kimmeridgian limestone terroir be connected to Muscadet, an appellation that is 250 miles away?
Secondary in relevance to the historical, climatic, environmental, and cultural importance of the river are the wines and châteaux of the Jardin de la France. The kings and nobility of France built many hundreds of châteaux in the Loire but wine preceded the arrival of the noblesse and has since out-lived them as well.
Diversity abounds in the Loire. The aforementioned Kimmderidgian limestone of Sancerre is also found in Chablis. Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur boast the presence of tuffeau, a type of limestone unique to the Loire that has a yellowish tinge and a chalky texture. Savennières has schist, while Muscadet has volcanic, granite, and serpentinite based soils. In addition to geologic diversity, many, grape varieties are grown there too: Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Melon de Bourgogne are most prevalent, but (to name a few) Pinot Gris, Grolleau, Pinot Noir, Pineau d’Aunis, and Folle Blanche are also planted. These myriad of viticultural influences leads to the high quality production of every type of wine: red, white, rosé, sparkling, and dessert.
Like the Rhône and Provence, some of Kermit’s first imports came from the Loire, most notably the wines of Charles Joguet and Château d’Epiré—two producers who are featured in Kermit’s book Adventures on the Wine Route and with whom we still work today.
More from Loire or France
2020 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Grolleau “Franc de Pied”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2019 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
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2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
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2021 Sancerre Rouge
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2022 Chinon Rosé
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2022 Quincy “Château de Quincy”
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2022 Vouvray “Les Fondraux”
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2022 Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”
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2022 Sancerre Rosé “Le Colombier”
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2022 Bourgueil Rosé “La Ritournelle”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2020 Vouvray “La Dilettante”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
2022 Grolleau “Franc de Pied”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2019 Saumur Blanc “L’Insolite”
Thierry Germain France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Le Clos Guillot”
Bernard Baudry France | Loire
2020 Chinon “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2021 Sancerre Rouge
Daniel Chotard France | Loire
2022 Chinon Rosé
Charles Joguet France | Loire
2022 Quincy “Château de Quincy”
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
2022 Vouvray “Les Fondraux”
Champalou France | Loire
2022 Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”
Château d'Epiré France | Loire
2022 Sancerre Rosé “Le Colombier”
Domaine Roger Neveu France | Loire
2022 Bourgueil Rosé “La Ritournelle”
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
A good doctor prescribed the wine of Nuits-Saint-Georges to the Sun King, Louis XIV, when he suffered an unknown maladie. When the king’s health was restored the tasty remedy enjoyed a vogue at court. Lord, send me a doctor like that!
Inspiring Thirst, page 117