2008 Vignoble de La Jarnoterie 'Concerto'Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil, Loire * Exc...

Why We're Drinking ItLike Winemaker Francoise Mabileau, this wine is a superstar. One of the leading winemakers in Bourgueil (a varietal from the Loire Valley in central France) and one of our most celebrated Women Winemakers, Francoise ‘WOW’s’ our Panel every sip of the way. She gives us a U.S. exclusive, a direct import just for Insiders during our summer sourcing trip across France. We became enamored from the experience of Francoise’s labor: a bold Cabernet Franc (as you’d expect from the Loire, the region synonymous with spectacular reds), it’s a wine that took home the status of ‘favorite from the Loire Valley’ by our Sourcing Team of vinophiles.Continuing a family lineage of amazing winemakers that dates back to 1893, Francoise Mabileau has helped make Saint-Nicolas de Bourgueil one of those spots that command attention. Under her direction, the Estate plants roots of reverence, consistently creating robust reds (expressly Cab Franc) that strongly reflect the soil in which the vines are grown. Wines that naturally show silkiness with medium-body and exceptional complexity, the taste here is all about the gravelly alluvial soils; the rich minerals that live close to the banks of the Loire, known to generate two styles of wine: lighter and fresher with aromas of red berries and licorice, and then the rich and intricate from the local 'tuffeau jaune' stone type (formed during the Turonian era, actually named after Touraine, roughly 90 million years ago). This blessed terroir is the very basis for the high-quality viticulture (results are in the bottle) for which this region is known.In this bottle, that same première qualité comes from a winery that sits at the heart of the appellation. An ultra-small producer with a remarkable trilogy of climate, soil, and grape variety, it’s all about hand-care here; all to ensure the best quality wine achievable. Excellence derived from aging in chestnut barrels that have been around for generations give this wine a unique character that has many layers.An offering that just landed in the states (for the first time ever), it’s a debut that our Panel chanting “Merci beaucoup’! A Loire production from a femme fatale winemaker that’s sure to generate quite a buzz, it’s a’ must drink’ - especially at this wholesale value. more