{"title":"Cabernet Franc","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"draft-b3","title":"Biotteau Anjou Rouge Mary Taylor","description":"\u003cp data-end=\"364\" data-start=\"0\"\u003eThere’s a rare sort of Anjou Rouge that feels like a secret kept just outside the Loire’s more trafficked circuits — generous in fruit yet lithe in structure, earthy without austerity, and astonishingly priced for what it delivers. The Pascal Biotteau Anjou Rouge is that wine: a red of buoyant energy, supple grip, and uncanny completeness for its value.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1024\" data-start=\"366\"\u003eOn the nose it sings of blue and black cherries, wild bramble, and a note of redcurrant leaf that keeps the fruit from ever feeling heavy. There’s an undercurrent of wet limestone and sous-bois that speaks unmistakably of Anjou’s schist and tuffeau — savory and mineral, not ornamental. On the palate the wine is medium in body, with a silky, fine-grained tannin framing a core of bright, pure fruit: blood plum, a hint of raspberry reduction, and an herb-tinged thread of wild thyme that threads through the finish. There’s a cool, stony lift to the acidity that keeps the whole lithe, yet it carries real weight and resonance well beyond its price bracket.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-is-only-node=\"\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-end=\"1381\" data-start=\"1026\"\u003eIt’s Loire freshness without green austerity, ripe fruit without jam — a wine that feels crafted with thoughtful restraint and terrains-driven clarity. In a world where everyday reds often tip into generic ripeness or hollow structure, this Anjou Rouge stands out not by force but by completeness: place, purity, and poised energy in every glass. A steal.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46139197096169,"sku":"","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_2d976572-9274-4afa-aeed-20215777492a.png?v=1631291540"},{"product_id":"draft-b4","title":"Domaine de la Chanteleuserie Les Alouettes Bourgueil","description":"\u003cp\u003eDomaine de la Chanteleuserie’s \u003cem data-start=\"31\" data-end=\"46\"\u003eLes Alouettes\u003c\/em\u003e Bourgueil opens with that unmistakable Loire Cab Franc lift — red currant and sour cherry threaded with crushed raspberry, fresh bell pepper, and a faint whiff of graphite. The palate stays light on its feet, all savory tension and clarity: cranberry skin, wild herbs, damp earth, and a gentle streak of limestone minerality. Tannins are fine and dusty, acidity bright and refreshing, carrying the wine to a clean, quietly stony finish that feels more about place than power.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46008068604137,"sku":"F54501","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_9acbe49c-78f5-4bf7-8d68-40b855274eb5.png?v=1631291567"},{"product_id":"draft-b20","title":"Olga Raffault Chinon","description":"","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"2017","offer_id":42056243577065,"sku":"","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"2018","offer_id":42311619510505,"sku":"","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"2019","offer_id":43230214914281,"sku":"505B","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_eb4de715-674a-4ca2-a57c-ab38c808a2fd.png?v=1631294346"},{"product_id":"draft-b21","title":"Domaine de Pallus Messanges Rouge Chinon","description":"","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45688897437929,"sku":"","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_7aabcd6e-fb2a-47a0-a30c-ef5e313de4b3.png?v=1631294364"},{"product_id":"draft-b22","title":"Domaine Filliatreau Chateau Fouquet Saumur","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Loire Valley has always felt a little mischievous to me. Burgundy stares at itself in the mirror. Bordeaux keeps receipts. But the Loire? The Loire packs a baguette, disappears into the fog and somehow returns with the most refreshing bottle you’ve tasted all year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDomaine Filliatreau’s 2021 Château Fouquet Saumur Rouge is exactly that sort of wine. This is Cabernet Franc at its most buoyant: energetic, savory and just wild enough around the edges to feel deliciously alive. Not the stern, graphite-heavy Franc that lectures you about structure. This one wants to dance barefoot in the kitchen while the roasted chicken rests.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Filliatreau family has worked the chalky soils of Saumur for generations, farming organically and treating Cabernet Franc less like a grape to tame and more like a grape to listen to. The vineyards sit atop the tuffeau limestone that defines great Saumur—that pale, porous chalk that seems to inject wines with both levity and electric snap. You taste it immediately here. The fruit feels suspended in air.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2021 was a cooler vintage in the Loire, which turns out to be wonderful news for wines like this. Instead of excess weight or jamminess, Château Fouquet arrives all bright-eyed and nimble: tart raspberry, crushed cranberry, red currant, violets, and the sort of herbal freshness that makes you think of snapping green stems in a garden after the rain. Then come classic Franc notes—pencil shavings, damp earth, black tea, a little cracked pepper—all woven together with remarkable ease.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut what makes this bottle so lovable is its texture. There’s this gentle chalky grip beneath the juicy fruit, like biting into a just-ripe plum while standing in a limestone cellar. The wine feels playful but not simple, serious but never self-important. You can chill it slightly and drink it with charcuterie, roast salmon, mushroom tart, cassoulet, burgers or, frankly, an irresponsible amount of pâté and cornichons.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere’s also something deeply French about it in the best possible way. Not luxury-French. Not chandelier-French. It's Bistro-French. A half-finished bottle on a zinc counter while someone tears apart a loaf of bread with their hands kind of French. It reminds you wine is supposed to make dinner more fun, not more complicated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd yet, because this is Saumur, because this is limestone and because Cabernet Franc can be impish, there’s plenty of depth beneath the frolic. The finish lingers with cool herbs, mineral dust and a savory whisper that keeps pulling you back for one more sip.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhich, coincidentally, is exactly what happened to my first bottle. It vanished with almost supernatural speed!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45455924887785,"sku":"","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_01a713e1-6ac0-40e4-a51f-58b323b7d82a.png?v=1631294428"},{"product_id":"b31","title":"La Varenne Chinon Tradition","description":"\u003cp\u003eLa Varenne Chinon Tradition opens with a cooler, more woodland register — tart cranberry and red currant giving way to dried violets, bay leaf, and a faint whiff of pencil shavings. On the palate it stays taut and restrained, carrying flavors of sour cherry, savory olive, and damp forest floor, framed by fine, sandy tannins and a subtle snap of white pepper. The finish is brisk and mineral, edged with iron and wet stone, quietly refreshing and unmistakably Chinon.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Select Sellars","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44410188169449,"sku":"535901","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_2c2d47fb-9f1b-4742-8d67-bdcf18d1dc61.png?v=1631296260"},{"product_id":"b43","title":"Arnaud Lambert Saumur Terres Rouges","description":"\u003cp\u003eHere is a joyous, heartwarming, mirthful red wine that will bring a smile to your palate and a warmth to your dinner table – Arnaud Lambert’s Saumur Champigny Cabernet Franc “Terres Rouges.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI realize that this guy’s name, the place he’s from, and the grape variety he is using probably isn’t always on your nightly dining table. But it should be, and I’m here to pleasantly, and quickly, introduce you to all of them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eArnauld Lambert is a young winemaker in the Loire Valley, with his hometown being Saumur Champigny. Coming to winemaking at a young age, he also arrived with no preconceived notions, which is important for his part of the world. Most Saumur wines are made in the old, co-operative style, emphasizing bulk production instead of quality of fruit. Most are also grown using a high input of chemicals as well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut Lambert changed all of that. First he shifted to organics, and he is now shifting to biodynamics. Instead of large bulk parcels, he is vinifying small cuvees focused on obtaining the pure expression of the terroir. Hence this one being named “red earth”, after that soil on which it is planted. As \u003cem\u003eBettane \u0026amp; Desseauve\u003c\/em\u003e (the top French wine magazine) noted of Lambert: “[He is] one of the most talented winemakers in the Loire… one of Top 100 Producers of France.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Saumur, the main red grape variety is Cabernet Franc. And with stating that, I would like to give a bit of a disclaimer, with a silver lining. Loire Cabernet Franc, when farmed in bulk, often is not to most Americans’ flavor profile liking. If you were studying for a Master Somm exam, the kindest way you might summarize it is “underripe blueberry.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut that’s not this wine. Here, due to careful vineyard practices and meticulous work in the winery, Lambert’s Saumur Franc expresses a gorgeous purity of red raspberry fruit and blueberry fruit on the nose and palate. The fruit expression is so dynamic and engaging, it is absolutely sure to please. But this is still the Loire (not Napa), and the fruit character is one of vivid freshness, as opposed to, say, Pritchard Hill Franc’s girthy power. The wine is lean with the sense of being utterly refreshing, giving the palate and finish definition in detail – a master work of deliciousness wrapped in a delightfully unassuming presentation. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere, front and center, is the new-wave of Loire Cabernet Franc, the reason that sommeliers everywhere are bragging about being able to glass pour Lambert’s wines. Like many wines I’ve seen over the years, I believe this one will soon become a cult favorite, and quickly double and triple in price, if not more.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOr, maybe an easy way to summarize this wine—-\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you can recall the flush stirrings of your first teenage romance immortalized in Austrud Gilberto’s Bossa Nova rendition of Rogers and Hammerstein’s song “It Might as Well be Spring” you’ve got this wine – charming, pretty, restless, elegant, gay in a melancholy way, bursting with anticipation of all the new life spring brings. So delicious! – Don’t miss our modest allocation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45238417031401,"sku":"F52420","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_d0f98b6d-5188-4777-baa4-11abd7b74b8b.png?v=1631299337"},{"product_id":"b57","title":"Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses 2019","description":"\u003cp\u003eOlga Raffault’s \u003cem data-start=\"16\" data-end=\"30\"\u003eLes Picasses\u003c\/em\u003e has always been about quiet authority, and in 2019 it feels beautifully, confidently arrived. Cabernet Franc from this storied Chinon site opens with cool river-stone minerality, blackcurrant skin, and that unmistakable Loire undercurrent of damp earth and tobacco leaf, as if the cellar door has just been opened after a long winter. On the palate, the wine is resolved and supple without losing its spine—dark berries and savory plum wrapped in fine, chalk-dust tannins, lifted by gentle herbal notes and a flicker of iron. At this age, \u003cem data-start=\"570\" data-end=\"584\"\u003eLes Picasses\u003c\/em\u003e is in its prime: poised, expressive, and deeply satisfying, offering the pleasure of maturity without any sense of decline—just a calm, confident sense of place, fully spoken.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48949819769065,"sku":null,"price":35.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_0f36b0f7-7a28-49ed-923f-be7a7956a755.png?v=1631301606"},{"product_id":"b58","title":"Arnaud Lambert Saumur Champigny Montee des Roches","description":"\u003cp\u003e2021 Arnaud Lambert Saumur-Champigny \u003cem data-start=\"37\" data-end=\"59\"\u003eLa Montée des Roches\u003c\/em\u003e opens cool and precise, Cabernet Franc in its Loire cadence: red currant, tart cherry, and wild raspberry threaded with graphite, crushed stone, and a gentle leafy greenness. There’s a savory edge of bell pepper skin, fresh tobacco, and damp earth, the palate taut and nervy, carried by bright acidity and fine, chalk-dust tannins. It finishes quietly mineral and refreshing, all lift and limestone tension rather than weight.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"750 ml","offer_id":48556549505257,"sku":"F52431","price":36.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1.5 L","offer_id":48556633227497,"sku":"F52437","price":89.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_3e1dcb8d-d50f-4a34-b39f-46baa928d43e.png?v=1631301621"},{"product_id":"b66","title":"Château du Petit Thouars Chinon Les Georges","description":"","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43385670238441,"sku":"","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_79a37bf9-55e8-4da5-8f3f-a6d3595c45b1.png?v=1631303709"},{"product_id":"b72","title":"Domaine Les Pins Bourgueil Vieille Vignes 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003eCool, quiet Cabernet Franc with a Loire cadence—red currant and sour cherry upfront, shaded by crushed raspberry and a hint of dried cranberry. There’s that Bourgueil earthiness underneath: damp clay, pencil shavings, and a light dusting of white pepper. Medium-light on its feet, the tannins feel fine and chalk-etched rather than firm, carrying the fruit with a savory, gently herbal finish that leans toward bay leaf and fresh tobacco. Restrained, honest, and very much about place rather than power.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Select Sellars","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40683368775870,"sku":"510603","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/IMG-2518.png?v=1768942782"},{"product_id":"b88","title":"Charles Joguet Cuvee Terroir Chinon","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"499\"\u003eThere’s a loamy, rain-kissed morning in Chinon in this glass—pluck up a fistful of gravelly earth from the Loire’s right bank and you’ll smell what the 2021 \u003cstrong data-start=\"157\" data-end=\"196\"\u003eCharles Joguet Chinon Cuvée Terroir\u003c\/strong\u003e unfurls first: that cool, mineral chalkiness that feels like wet stone and cedar under a cedar hedge. Then the fruit arrives—not bold, but lithely insistent—a ribbon of wild red cherry and raspberry draped over crushed violets and a bramble of herbs de Provence, rosemary and bay lingering just behind.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"501\" data-end=\"981\"\u003eOn the palate it’s medium-bodied and agile, the tannins fine-grained yet woven with Chinon’s signature tensile energy, like threads of pale cassis and pomegranate skin tightening with each breath. A hint of graphite and Loire river pebble holds the mid-palate in tension, while a whisper of black pepper and dried fennel seed warms the finish rather than blunts it. The acidity, bright but poised, lifts the red fruit toward an almost rose petal perfume at the back of the throat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"983\" data-end=\"1256\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003eIt’s the kind of Chinon that speaks of Cinq Mars and Savigny soils—earthy and sinewy, red fruit notched with cool steel—inviting both immediate pleasure and patient company at the table. A Loire red that feels transported from the stone walls and river mist into the glass.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44798680695017,"sku":"F55071","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_e555a896-f73b-4124-b721-71ef285a0744.png?v=1653338651"},{"product_id":"b89","title":"Bernard Baudry La Croix Boissee Chinon","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"flex flex-col text-sm pb-25\"\u003e\n\u003carticle class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none [--shadow-height:45px] has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none has-data-writing-block:-mt-(--shadow-height) has-data-writing-block:pt-(--shadow-height) [\u0026amp;:has([data-writing-block])\u0026gt;*]:pointer-events-auto [content-visibility:auto] supports-[content-visibility:auto]:[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_100lvh] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]\" dir=\"auto\" data-turn-id=\"73a50fe5-b318-4dff-9b1d-47ed35ed1744\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-2\" data-scroll-anchor=\"true\" data-turn=\"assistant\" tabindex=\"-1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-10 [--thread-content-margin:--spacing(4)] @w-sm\/main:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(6)] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(16)] px-(--thread-content-margin)\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\" tabindex=\"-1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col grow\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"8a398735-edd8-49f4-8250-723ac3f69d8e\" dir=\"auto\" class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal [.text-message+\u0026amp;]:mt-1\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-5-2\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[1px]\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert w-full break-words light markdown-new-styling\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"713\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003e\u003cem data-start=\"9\" data-end=\"27\"\u003eLa Croix Boissée\u003c\/em\u003e carries Chinon’s limestone gravity with a quieter, more inward voice. Cabernet Franc shows itself in cool-toned layers of blackcurrant leaf and crushed blackberry, edged by pencil shavings, damp cellar stone, and a faint echo of green peppercorn rather than overt pyrazine. The palate is taut and architectural—red and black fruit held in check by savory mineral tension—unfurling notes of iron filings, clove, and dried bay as it moves. Tannins feel fine-grained and tensile, more like woven linen than grip, with acidity that keeps everything lifted and precise. Condensed, serious, and still coiled, this feels less about immediacy than about Chinon’s long, limestone-etched memory.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"z-0 flex min-h-[46px] justify-start\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"mt-3 w-full empty:hidden\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"text-center\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/article\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44900742070505,"sku":"","price":52.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_b5a09555-bb31-487a-8695-f3e76822a2da.png?v=1631308742"},{"product_id":"c144","title":"Lieu Dit Cabernet Franc 2023","description":"\u003cp\u003eA bright, nervy take on cool-climate American Cabernet Franc, opening with red currant, tart cherry, and cranberry skin, edged by green bell pepper and fresh thyme. There’s a gentle graphite and crushed stone note running underneath, with hints of violets and dried bay leaf. Light-bodied and agile on its feet, the palate is driven by acidity rather than weight, finishing with savory herbs, a touch of jalapeño heat, and fine, tea-like tannins that fade clean and refreshing.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Select Sellars","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45856123289833,"sku":"125203","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_bcf351ba-1d4b-405c-a3d9-cfe005e9c9b1.png?v=1631564872"},{"product_id":"k118","title":"Laroque Carcassonne Cabernet Franc","description":"","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44844756992233,"sku":"F83080","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_0e08c6ba-94e7-402a-82b9-021daadda7df.png?v=1632255918"},{"product_id":"owen-roe-union-gap-cabernet-franc","title":"Owen Roe Union Gap Cabernet Franc The Pearl Block","description":"","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"2017","offer_id":42038097215721,"sku":"","price":71.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_789e49ab-2568-4b1d-b606-1e3fd37fab32.png?v=1632501663"},{"product_id":"owen-rose-rosa-mystica-cabernet-franc","title":"Owen Roe Rosa Mystica Cabernet Franc 2022","description":"","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45906601574633,"sku":"512B","price":32.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_d7bccf37-43d8-4b3a-b8c7-2826a7af76d3.png?v=1632502395"},{"product_id":"domaine-de-pallus-les-pensees-de-pallus-rouge","title":"Domaine de Pallus Les Pensees de Pallus Chinon 2020","description":"\u003cp\u003eA deeper, more inward Chinon, shaped by Pallus’ serious hand and quiet confidence. The nose leans into black cherry, cassis, graphite, and pencil lead, threaded with tobacco leaf, cedar, and iron-rich earth. On the palate, the fruit stays dark and composed, framed by crushed stone minerality, savory undertones, and a firm, linear structure. Tannins are present but finely etched, carrying the wine toward a long, restrained finish marked by mineral tension and cool, stony persistence. Thoughtful, grounded, and built for patience—very much a Pallus meditation.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43456062521577,"sku":"","price":32.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/IMG-2513.png?v=1768942674"},{"product_id":"chateau-de-chaintres-vieilles-vignes-saumur-champigny","title":"Chateau de Chaintres Vieilles Vignes Saumur Champigny","description":"","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42311630881001,"sku":"","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/IMG-0971.png?v=1740697562"},{"product_id":"belasco-de-baquedano-2019-cab-franc-llama","title":"Belasco de Baquedano Cab Franc \"Llama\"","description":"","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"2019","offer_id":42655053447401,"sku":"","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"2021","offer_id":43608177934569,"sku":"C00670","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"bernard-baudry-chinon-grezeaux","title":"Bernard Baudry Chinon Les Grezeaux 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003eA darker, more inward Chinon, shaped by gravel and restraint. Black cherry and cassis lead, edged with violet, graphite, and pencil lead, the fruit wrapped in that unmistakable Baudry signature of iron-rich earth and cool tobacco. The palate is taut and deliberate—savory rather than sweet—with firm, fine-grained tannins, limestone tension, and a quiet, mouthwatering freshness that keeps everything upright and serious. Less about charm than conviction, this is Cabernet Franc built on structure, soil, and patience, promising clarity now and depth with time.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46139185463529,"sku":"","price":34.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/IMG-2508.png?v=1768942543"},{"product_id":"chateau-du-petit-thouars-chinon-lepee","title":"Château du Petit Thouars Chinon L'Epee","description":"","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"2017","offer_id":42744516444393,"sku":"","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"chateau-du-petit-thouars-touraine-rouge-lamiral","title":"Château du Petit Thouars Touraine Rouge L'Amiral","description":"","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"2010","offer_id":42744528371945,"sku":"","price":36.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"tenuta-meraviglia-bolgheri-superiore-maestro-di-cava","title":"Tenuta Meraviglia Bolgheri Superiore Maestro di Cava 2016","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCritical acclaim:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\"95 points.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\"Expressive flavors of black currant, plum, cedar, coffee and oak spice are allied to a firm, tannic structure. Starts out rich and complex, tightening up on the finish. Impressive, but needs time. Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2040. 83 cases imported.\" - \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWine Spectator\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Select Sellars","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42849089913065,"sku":"81530417","price":49.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/Stockbottlewhitelabel_a191dbbf-248f-4b84-89f7-ddcdbd7924ad.png?v=1710610637"},{"product_id":"domaine-de-pallus-chinon-le-clos-de-pallus","title":"Domaine de Pallus Chinon Le Clos de Pallus","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"412\"\u003eIn the glass, the 2021 \u003cem data-start=\"23\" data-end=\"42\"\u003eLe Clos de Pallus\u003c\/em\u003e shows a translucent garnet, bright and quietly inviting. The nose opens with raspberry and wild strawberry, followed by violet and red plum, the fruit lifted and precise rather than lush. Beneath it all sits that unmistakable Loire Cabernet Franc signature—crushed green herbs and a faint bell-pepper note—adding freshness and tension rather than greenness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"414\" data-end=\"912\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003eThe palate is nimble and finely etched, driven by sour cherry and red currant, with a cool streak of graphite and wet stone that keeps everything focused. Fresh acidity carries the wine cleanly across the mid-palate, while subtle herbal notes—oregano, thyme— weave into gently textured, fine-grained tannins. It finishes savory and mineral, lingering on herbal spice and chalky limestone, a clear, articulate expression of Chinon that feels both grounded and quietly expressive.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46204099985641,"sku":"","price":44.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_88321127-adcf-412b-aa57-082a614f30ed.png?v=1652127095"},{"product_id":"vigneti-le-monde-cabernet-franc","title":"Vigneti Le Monde Cabernet Franc","description":"","brand":"Select Sellars","offers":[{"title":"2018","offer_id":43176050622697,"sku":"","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_a9f1ce94-564b-4d25-8e4f-c45de308289b.jpg?v=1654532659"},{"product_id":"2015-clos-rougeard-le-clos","title":"Clos Rougeard “Le Clos” 2018","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe most lifted and transparent of the trio, opening with red cherry, cranberry, and rose hip, layered with violet stem, wet gravel, and a subtle herbal freshness. The palate is lighter in body but vividly expressive, with bright acidity and fine, silken tannins giving the wine a graceful, flowing shape. Earth and stone are present but gentle, supporting a finish that is aromatic, fresh, and quietly persistent. Les Clos favors finesse and clarity over power, offering immediacy and elegance while still unmistakably carrying the Rougeard signature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis product is not evenly allocated across all stores and may be assigned entirely to a single location. If you experience issues at checkout, please try removing this item from your cart and completing the purchase separately. If your order is routed to a store other than your preference, contact us at \u003ca data-start=\"375\" data-end=\"402\" class=\"decorated-link cursor-pointer\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003esommelier@waterfordwine.com \u003c\/a\u003eand we’ll be happy to assist.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Capitol\/Allstate","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44277824880873,"sku":"65017","price":159.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/IMG-0930.png?v=1740159616"},{"product_id":"2015-clos-rougeard-bourg","title":"Clos Rougeard “Le Bourg” 2018","description":"\u003cp\u003eBroad and resonant, this opens with dark plum skin, black cherry, and cassis bud, layered with cigar box, loamy earth, and a warm, iron-tinged depth that immediately signals scale. The palate is expansive and slow-moving, built around dense, savory fruit and polished but authoritative tannins, with acidity integrated rather than leading. Notes of leather, black tea, and damp soil unfurl gradually, carrying into a long, enveloping finish that feels architectural rather than linear. Le Bourg shows Clos Rougeard at its most powerful and baritone—depth, breadth, and gravitas over immediacy.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Capitol\/Allstate","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44277819965673,"sku":"65016","price":449.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/IMG-0927.png?v=1740159230"},{"product_id":"arnaud-lambert-nv-cremant-rose","title":"Arnaud Lambert Breze Cremant de Loire Rose","description":"","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43997309173993,"sku":"F52450","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/IMG-0187.png?v=1733781200"},{"product_id":"botanica-big-flower-cabernet-franc","title":"Botanica Big Flower Cabernet Franc","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis opens with Cabernet Franc’s floral side turned up—violet and dried iris—layered over cool red cherry, cranberry skin, and a gentle green snap of crushed stem and bell pepper leaf. The palate stays lithe and savory, moving through red currant, tart raspberry, and a whisper of graphite and dried herbs. There’s a subtle South African undercurrent—feral, earthy, just a hint of loam and wildness—kept firmly in the background. Fresh, aromatic, and quietly expressive, it finishes clean with fine, chalk-tinged tannins and lifted acidity.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Select Sellars","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44410820002025,"sku":"","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_607bf699-8757-4397-8cd1-ef39de3f72fc.heic?v=1677533355"},{"product_id":"ehlers-cabernet-franc","title":"Ehlers Estate Cabernet Franc","description":"","brand":"Select Sellars","offers":[{"title":"2019","offer_id":44686097252585,"sku":"123107","price":74.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2023","offer_id":48418596421865,"sku":"","price":88.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"2021","offer_id":48418605269225,"sku":"","price":89.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"domaine-les-pins-bourgueil-rose-linstant","title":"Domaine Les Pins Bourgueil Rose L'Instant","description":"","brand":"Select Sellars","offers":[{"title":"750ML","offer_id":44840609480937,"sku":"510602","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1.5 L","offer_id":47016081228009,"sku":"510602M","price":35.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/IMG-8590.png?v=1713377736"},{"product_id":"patrick-baudouin-les-coteaux-dardeney-rouge","title":"Patrick Baudouin Les Coteaux d'Ardenay Rouge","description":"","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44953820594409,"sku":"","price":32.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"domaine-de-la-chanteleuserie-bourgueil-vieilles-vignes-2020","title":"Domaine de la Chanteleuserie Bourgueil Vieilles Vignes 2020","description":"","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45033024913641,"sku":"","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/image_ae5f0600-2d48-4c12-b8f0-bffdb79266e0.png?v=1688157144"},{"product_id":"mi-terruno-reserve-2016","title":"Mi Terruno Reserve Cabernet Franc 2016","description":"","brand":"Waterford Wine and Spirits","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45183703646441,"sku":"","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"mi-terruno-expression-cabernet-franc-2016","title":"Mi Terruno Expression Cabernet Franc 2016","description":"","brand":"Waterford Wine and Spirits","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45183835832553,"sku":"","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"union-sacre-cabernet-franc-2021","title":"Union Sacre Cabernet Franc 2022","description":"\u003cp class=\"paragraph-spacing-none\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eLet’s do the fun part first and the explanation second:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"paragraph-spacing-none\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis is just a fun, juicy, frolicking, lively little “Chipie” of a red wine. It’s Cabernet Franc, so it’s got all those tart and tangy pomegranate, red plum and under-ripe blueberry notes that bring the wine just singing out of the glass. On the palate, it’s got California sun on its shoulders, and all the more juicy fun times for it – that warm sunshine rounds it out, over a supple-drinking midpalate with easygoing tannins. But at 13.1% alcohol, the warming sun doesn’t cover up any of the dancing, prancing zestiness of this red wine. Chipie (I am told) is French slang for a young girl who is misbehaving; and if you’ve got the snow-bound, cold-weather blues, then maybe it’s time for you to pop a bottle and start misbehaving – just a little.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"paragraph-spacing-none\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe wine is from Paso Robles, California, but comes to us with a French sensibility. The winemaker, Xavier Arnaudin, hails from Alsace, France, and considers this wine to be a tribute to his native homeland. Yet he has a partner in crime - Philip Muzzy, a self-taught designer from Michigan, who helped form this project of Union Sacre wines that they embarked on together.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"paragraph-spacing-none\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTheir idea: Make wines for the table, for joy, with some wit and intelligent jokes, but never pretense, and not demanding. After all, Union Sacre harkens back to a French political term circa World War I, but they mean it here to describe two friends coming together to create something new. Looking at the bottle, the front label tells you what it is, and the back label tells you how it feels. And inside the bottle? It’s the prancy, rollicking minx I spoke of.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"paragraph-spacing-none\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOr, maybe an even better summation – pretty much everyone that I have drunk this wine with (and at this point there have been many bottles!) has said, “Darn, that’s so yummy, I could drink it all day!” And indeed, that is what we have been doing. Join us!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45505980465385,"sku":"A54140","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/image_de6b9825-6b7e-4de4-9a9d-13eb2245ed98.png?v=1694027904"},{"product_id":"laporte-le-bouquet-cabernet-franc-2018","title":"Laporte Le Bouquet Cabernet Franc 2018","description":"","brand":"Select Sellars","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45600572604649,"sku":"","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"arnaud-lambert-mazurique-saumur-rouges","title":"Arnaud Lambert Mazurique Saumur Rouge 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003eHere is a joyous, heartwarming, mirthful red wine that will bring a smile to your palate and a warmth to your dinner table – Arnaud Lambert’s Saumur Champigny Cabernet Franc “Mazurique.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eArnauld Lambert is a young winemaker in the Loire Valley, with his hometown being Saumur Champigny. Coming to winemaking at a young age, he also arrived with no preconceived notions, which is important for his part of the world. Most Saumur wines are made in the old, co-operative style, emphasizing bulk production instead of quality of fruit. Most are also grown using a high input of chemicals as well.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut Lambert changed all of that. First he shifted to organics, and he is now shifting to biodynamics. Instead of large bulk parcels, he is vinifying small cuvees focused on obtaining the pure expression of the terroir. Hence this one being named “red earth”, after that soil on which it is planted. As \u003cem\u003eBettane \u0026amp; Desseauve\u003c\/em\u003e (the top French wine magazine) noted of Lambert: “[He is] one of the most talented winemakers in the Loire… one of Top 100 Producers of France.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Saumur, the main red grape variety is Cabernet Franc. And with stating that, I would like to give a bit of a disclaimer, with a silver lining. Loire Cabernet Franc, when farmed in bulk, often is not to most Americans’ flavor profile liking. If you were studying for a Master Somm exam, the kindest way you might summarize it is “underripe blueberry.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut that’s not this wine. Here, due to careful vineyard practices and meticulous work in the winery, Lambert’s Saumur Franc expresses a gorgeous purity of red raspberry fruit and blueberry fruit on the nose and palate. The fruit expression is so dynamic and engaging, it is absolutely sure to please. But this is still the Loire (not Napa), and the fruit character is one of vivid freshness, as opposed to, say, Pritchard Hill Franc’s girthy power. The wine is lean with the sense of being utterly refreshing, giving the palate and finish definition in detail – a master work of deliciousness wrapped in a delightfully unassuming presentation. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere, front and center, is the new-wave of Loire Cabernet Franc, the reason that sommeliers everywhere are bragging about being able to glass pour Lambert’s wines. Like many wines I’ve seen over the years, I believe this one will soon become a cult favorite, and quickly double and triple in price, if not more.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46157235683561,"sku":"F52460","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/IMG-8998.png?v=1717003705"},{"product_id":"superuco-calcareo-altamira-cabernet-franc","title":"SuperUco Calcareo  Cabernet Franc","description":"","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46157437206761,"sku":"C05640","price":39.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"ravines-cabernet-franc","title":"Ravines Cabernet Franc","description":"","brand":"TRIANGLE\/LEGACY BRANDS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46771120701673,"sku":"","price":23.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"belasco-de-baquedano-rose-of-malbec-llama","title":"Belasco de Baquedano Rose of Malbec \"Llama\"","description":"","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"2023","offer_id":47257597542633,"sku":"C00630","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"domaine-de-la-chanteleuserie-rose","title":"Domaine de la Chanteleuserie Rose","description":"","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47554916286697,"sku":"F54530","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"domaine-les-pins-bourgueil-rose-rochettes","title":"Domaine Les Pins Bourgueil Rose \"Rochettes\"","description":"","brand":"Select Sellars","offers":[{"title":"750ML","offer_id":47720133787881,"sku":"510604","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1.5 L","offer_id":47720133820649,"sku":"510604M","price":39.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"langlois-chateau-cremant-de-loire-brut-rose","title":"Langlois-Chateau Cremant de Loire Brut Rose","description":"","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47724702269673,"sku":"F52310","price":32.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"punto-final-reserva-cabernet-franc","title":"Punto Final Reserva Cabernet Franc","description":"","brand":"Badger\/Frank","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47856035004649,"sku":"8004845","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"blackbird-rose-arriviste","title":"Blackbird Rose Arriviste","description":"","brand":"Prestige","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47938887975145,"sku":"4001568","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"blackbird-paramour","title":"Blackbird Paramour 2016","description":"","brand":"Prestige","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47978439835881,"sku":"4001549","price":69.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/IMG-1747.png?v=1750095482"},{"product_id":"gran-enemigo-cabernet-franc-el-cepillo","title":"Gran Enemigo Cabernet Franc El Cepillo","description":"","brand":"Winebow","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48169997140201,"sku":"30296721","price":116.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"ballentine-estate-merlot-copy","title":"Ballentine Estate Cabernet Franc","description":"","brand":"Prestige","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48211255197929,"sku":null,"price":79.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}]}],"url":"https:\/\/waterfordwine.com\/collections\/cabernet-franc.oembed?page=6","provider":"Waterford Wine and Spirits","version":"1.0","type":"link"}