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Cabernet Franc is unusual in Languedoc-Roussillon but Domaine Gayda have produced this elegant, beautifully rich, fruity and lightly oaked wine there, Figure Libre Cabernet Franc. A very food-friendly wine
In stock
In stock
| Wine Style | Red Wine, Rich Spicy Red |
|---|---|
| Grape Variety | Cabernet Franc |
| Wine Region | Languedoc-Roussillon |
| Country | France |
| ABV | 13.0% |
| Oaked | Yes |
| Cork | Yes |
| Lifestyle | Vegan, Certified Organic |
| Volume | 75cl |
| Drink By | 2028 |
Some of the best wines in the Languedoc region are IGP wines (previously “Vins de Pays”); this one cannot be one of the Languedoc AOCs as Cabernet Franc is not a permitted variety in the region and yet suits the sandstone terroir. Winemaker, Vincent Chansault, planted Cabernet Franc (from his home region, the Loire Valley) for that reason and he manages to combine the subtleness of Loire red wines with the boldness of many Languedoc red wines.
This organic red wine is of amazing quality, quite elegant and yet bursting with intense aromas and complex flavours. It is rather unique in style and definitely worth a try. This wine, like previous vintages, is beautifully fragrant with concentrated, ripe fruit aromas of cassis, black cherries, raspberries and some floral notes such as lilac. This fruity character extends to the palate and addded to the intense black fruits and raspberry are hints of caramel, graphite and liquorice developed from the oak ageing.
Despite the intensity and complexity of the aromas and flavours, the wine remains rather refined and certainly more than you might expect for an IGP. Domaine Gayda uses only 20% new oak in this wine so the effects are quite subtle. It is medium-bodied and retains the great balance of fruit, very fine tannins and refreshing acidity. It’s not surprising that it is a customer favourite.
Opaque, perfumed with fragrant black cherry, cassis and spice. Full bodied, intense with countless layers of flavour including blackcurrant, cedar and graphite. Dense fruit on the palate is bound by a structure of fine grained tannins and a lively acidity. This wine shows great depth and character and yet is refined with a long, elegant finish.
Cabernet Franc’s acidity and body make it a good match for a number of different foods. Its herbaceous characteristics make it a particularly good match for game, lamb, duck and for herby and olive- and tomato-based dishes. It will go well with most red meats, with mushrooms, peppers and with many cheeses including brie, camembert, smoked cheeses and even goats cheese.
“A lovely, intense purple colour with red highlights. On the nose it explodes with varietal intensity: raspberry, blackcurrant, green pepper, …and some mentholated aromas. A delicate caramelisation shows a careful and skilful use of oak barrels. The palate is fresh and vegetal with soft tannins still present as well as notes of roasted cocoa.”
2021 not yet rated but here’s what JancisRobinson.com wrote about the 2020:
“17 points. Every inch Cabernet Franc, but so, so much richer, deeper, sweeter than the classic Loire expression of the grape. This is Cabernet Franc baritone to the Loire’s soprano (and occasional alto). It’s redcurrants so ripe that a sip is like a teaspoon of redcurrant jam, but the acidity is the violin that cuts through the sweetness with taut, long strings. It’s a kohl pencil thickly lining the curve under smoky eyes instead of a school pencil writing sharply sparse words on the pages of a textbook. It’s throaty warm, Thai-basil cool. Cabernet Franc at its most sensuous, without losing an inch of balance.”
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