12.5% abv. James Petit, Restigné, Loire Valley, France. Imported by Rosenthal Wine Marchand, New York, NY.
Bourgueil (pronounced “boar guy”) is a village across the river from Chinon in the Saumur region. A bastion of exceptional Cabernet Franc wines grown on alluvial gravel and chalky limestone soils, wines from Bourgueil are often medium body and unoaked to emphasize the fresh fruit and savory vegetal inflections that Cabernet Franc offer. This cuvée from Petite Mairie is an exception; fermented with native yeast in tank, it then benefits from some extra polish by ageing in cellar for 9 months in neutral 225-liter barriques.
Tasting note: The 2016 Cuvée Romsard has a clean nose of medium intensity with aromas of raspberry, green pepper, olive tapenade, currant leaf, and tobacco. She’s dry with medium-plus acid, medium body, medium tannins, and a medium finish with lingering flavors of violet and lavender, pomegranate, raspberry, graphite, black plum, celery stalk and ripe pepper. There is a lovely focus here and a rather pleasant balance; the touch of oak here during elevage really takes this cuvée to another level of finesse. Very good, 9.2/10