Les Mémoires Saumur-Champigny Cabernet Franc

The 2020 Les Mémoires is a round and elegant Cabernet Franc. It's a not-trying-hard wine that exudes a sense of calm and ease as it rolls around your mouth seamlessly. Maybe it's the 100-year-old vines doing their thing. There's no oak getting in the way, allowing the purity of fruit to shine. It remains true to its variety and place, while its light spice meets dark fruits. Forget the fruit flavors, this is all about refined texture and its fine, chalky, powdery veil of tannins lightly coating the palate. Long and textural, this is not a wine you'll regret... (Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, August 2022)

Truly special bottle. Blossoms, needs several hours open to reveal violets, a hint of rose petal, fantastic subtle hint of pepper. The texture is stunning, wraps around your palate like a silk nightrobe. Ripe fruit but so fresh. The finest tannins and subtle structure provide perfect tension. As it lingers the minerals are searing and beautiful, the acid ample and well judged. Could come close to perfection in 15-20 years time.

So pretty and full of character. Opens with aromas of violet and pencil shavings that are joyfully and immaculate. Following, the palate has vivid fruit. Real purity and balance. Beautiful cab franc Pepperiness but understated. Ripeness and balanced minerals, acid and paper thin tannins.

To think how much has to come together, in the form of great terroir and the work of a great vigneron at the top or their game, for a wine to be so effortlessly delicious.

Dark, brooding, mysterious, beautiful nose. Dark mashed flowers, dark berries, gorgeous minerality, smells limestoney, amazing details and precision to this nose. Just gorgeous and so deep. Rich, ripe and wow levels of purity with an engaging limestone sweetness accented with deep pure sweet berries. So well made and refined. But so deep and so much more to say. This is so greet. Structure and so classic. Such a long finish. Dynamite.

Young. Embryo. Zygote. But this will be brilliant. The 16 is more closed at this stage than the 2015. Grapey berry fruit on the nose. Some smoke and mineral. White pepper as well. Palate is lush but firm with strong acids and a firm mineral backbone. It finishes very mineral with fruit fighting the mineral and losing but will win in the end. Bury this deep.

Gorgeous. Floral, huge fruit stank, so dazzling in its vividness. Fresh and vibrant. Light but intense. Serious structure. Very refined yet polished. Long and really amazing fruit.

2015. Exuberant aromatics of raspberry, black cherry, violets, tea smoke and hot stones. Presently coiled and screaming its youth while hinting at the songs to come.

Oh man--this was really incredible. Some of the best Cab Franc I've ever had. This has so many years of life ahead of it. From our tasting at Domaine des Roche Neuve.

The most massive of the haut cuvées, if you can call a 12.5% wine "massive". Possibly the purest expression of Cab Franc I've tasted in 35+ years of buying wines. Deep, dark and brooding at first, then layer after layer of precisely focused flavors unfold. Bravo!

Tighter than a frogs butthole right now. A lot of potential though...