Vin de Plaisir! A Red for Warm Weather
Vin de Plaisir! A Red for Warm Weather
by Anthony Lynch by Anthony Lynch
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2019 Bourgueil “Cuvée Alouettes”
2019 Bourgueil “Cuvée Alouettes”
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie France | Loire | Bourgueil
“Vin de plaisir! Lovely, bright, unfiltered color. Loaded with aroma and flavor. Intense, rambunctious fruit, as in crunchy, thick-skinned, tiny purple / black grapes. For newcomers, Bourgueil is across the Loire from Chinon. This is 100% Cabernet Franc from a sun-soaked parcel. ‘Les Alouettes’ is Boucard’s cuvée that requires no aging. Enjoy it starting now.” — Kermit Lynch on the 1996 Cuvée Alouettes
About thirty miles downriver of Vouvray lies the sleepy town of Bourgueil, where Cabernet Franc reigns. Thierry Boucard represents the seventh generation of his family to run Domaine de la Chanteleuserie, an estate blessed with some of the appellation’s finest parcels. From their south-facing limestone sites, in fact, Thierry and his forebears have produced beautifully nuanced Bourgueils with the structure to age for decades in bottle.
The Cuvée Alouettes, however, comes from sandier soils, which tend to yield softer wines with very supple tannins—perfect for drinking young. Since it’s similar in style and price to an easy-drinking Beaujolais Villages, you’ll want to drink it chilled and, likely, in one sitting. Unlike with other quaffers, though, you can expect a little extra brawn and woodsy fruits like cassis and plum. It saw fermentation and aging in stainless steel to preserve maximum aromas of fresh fruit, and the aromatics are not lacking: wild berries jump out of the glass invitingly, while a peppery note adds an earthy twist. The gentle finish makes a chilled glass oh-so gulpable alongside picnic fare, lunch, or a BLT.
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2019 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Cabernet Franc |
Appellation: | Bourgueil |
Country: | France |
Region: | Loire |
Producer: | Domaine de la Chanteleuserie |
Winemaker: | Thierry Boucard |
Vineyard: | Planted from 1967 - 1980, 8 ha |
Soil: | Sand, Clay |
Aging: | Fermented and aged in stainless steel cuves |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 14.2% |