Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Vignoble de la Jarnoterie 2008 Concerto Old Vines Cabernet Franc, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil


This French Cabernet Franc comes from vines between 60 and 80 years old. The Concerto Cuvee raises expectations of a virtuoso performance, but it was off-key for us.
We’re big Cab Franc fans and so we were anxious to check this version out. Our favorite Cab Francs come from the Finger Lakes and Ontario.
Concerto is aged six to eight months in chestnut barrels which rest under the vineyards in caves. Grapes are hand picked and sorted. With this much coolness, I was expecting something truly special.
I must say that our tasting team wasn’t dazzled by this wine. It’s just too refined. There is no punch in the tannins and the pepper notes are too demure. The producer suggests this as a good wine for aging, but the tannins seem too loose already.
On the nose there is a nice ripe fruit aroma. The black fruit and cranberry flavor notes are intertwined in an easy style dusted with a bit of earthiness. It is a smooth, pleasant wine, but with none of the rowdiness we like in a Cab Franc.
Rating: 2.5 of 5

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