Loire Cabernet Franc at Its Most Soulful
My first real wine love, my original “aha” moment, was Loire Valley Cabernet Franc. Not Burgundy, not Bordeaux, not Champagne.Humble Loire Franc. It may not always rank among the world’s so-called “great” fine wines, but for me it has always been singular, unique, and deeply personal. There’s an honesty to it, a vibration, a kind of soulful energy that in my youth I had not yet come across. That spirit is captured by Catherine & Pierre Breton, brought to us by the ever-reliable Kermit Lynch, who has championed them in the U.S. for decades.
Their 2020 Bourgueil “Nuits d’Ivresse” is exactly the sort of bottle that made me fall in love in the first place. It’s Cabernet Franc in its purest possible form. Natural fermentation, zero added sulfur at bottling, organically grown fruit, and an unwavering commitment to letting Bourgueil just be Bourgueil. In a vintage as classically ripe and clean as 2020, that voice is especially clear: lifted aromatics, pristine fruit, and tannins that feel sculpted rather than extracted.
“Nuits d’Ivresse” (“Nights of Drunkenness”) has always been a bit of a cult favorite, but this release is unusually complete. It opens with red and black cherries, violets, graphite, and that signature snap of herb, then glides into the mineral line that Bourgueil’s gravel and tuffeau soils give so effortlessly. It’s both vivid and calm, a wine with tension and ripeness but no heaviness.
If Loire reds are already part of your life, this is essential. If you’re still learning them, this is the bottle that explains the obsession. 2020 “Nuits d’Ivresse” is captivating, pure, and a reminder of why the Loire remains one of the more interesting (and personal) wine regions in the world.
Notes From Kermit Lynch
If I had to recommend a single Loire Cabernet Franc to share with someone unfamiliar with the region’s reds, it would be this vintage of this wine. The fruit is ripe, fleshy, and vibrant. The finish is sumptuous, pleasantly chalky, and lingering. The Nuits d’Ivresse is a special cuvée, harvested, fermented, and bottled without any sulfur whatsoever. Store it carefully and enjoy it now. It is a treat.