And then there was this. We are finishing Loire month off with a bang. Often, people ask us if natural wine can age. If it is anything beyond those funky wild flavours (that we love) best enjoyed in the first few years of its life. The answer is a resounding YES and the evidence are wines exactly like this. So extremely precise, beautiful, textured, layered and fineeeeee. This is your perfectly tailored suit. Your expertly cooked dish with layers of rich flavour that surprise. A wine to delight natural wine freaks with its fantastic precision and classic drinkers because it is simply a wonderful wine. This is old vine Cabernet Franc on tuffeau limestone on a south-facing knoll in the heart of Anjou. Simply a star. Think Cabernet Sauvignon’s cousin who dropped out of law school to become an artist. The full rich layered flavour of Cabernet Sauvignon without the big , raw tannins. Crunchy dark fruit, meets fresh tomato stem and a wild florality we can’t get enough of. A perfect fall, winter beauty or an extra special bottle to tuck away in the cellar for as long as you can wait.

6 bottles 2016 Clau de Nell Cabernet Franc
$55.99 per bottle in 6 packs

PRODUCTION & DRINKING

We came to know the wines of Clau de Nell from a sweet friend and fantastic wine mentor Mark Walford. Mark was one of the very UK merchants to bring the undiscovered wines of the Loire Valley to the UK. Mark was knocking on cellar doors (literally) and introducing a generation of young British sommeliers to these great beauties that would one day hold important spots on wine lists around the world. His portfolio was so fantastic it was later purchased by Berry Brothers - a famous UK importer - and we came to know him as an owner of the small and wonderful Cotes Catalanes property Le Soula, his insanely delicious retirement project. We told Mark we were off to the Loire for our first ever trip in 2016 and he gave us a short list of his very favourite producers. Top of it was Clau de Nell, an eight hectare winery on a south facing knoll in the small town of Ambiollou-Chateau, Anjou. The story of Clau de Nell is one of fate. It came to the attention of Anne-Claude Leflaive, of Burgundy’s Leflaive, and her husband Christian Jacques through their organization, which brought together biodynamic growers to share information and commercial networks. Clau de Nell was a stunning old vine property on beautiful limestone soils that was struggling financially and looking to sell. After first giving the previous owners a loan, they later jumped at the chance to purchase these special vines and the centuries old troglodyte cave that came with it. Soon after, they brought on sommelier-turned winemaker Sylvain Potin as estate manager. Thick vines are 30-90 years old, all wine is hand picked and aged in a combination of old Burgundian oak and large foudre. The Cabernet Franc spends 18 months in large

TASTES LIKE

Wine: what all the fuss is about. A perfect example of a deep, rich, layered, medium bodied stunner. A dense rich beauty with singing acidity and freshness behind her dark fruit, spicy, dusty core. Deep red cherries and crushed up raspberries in an old library. That comforting smell of perfectly ripe tomato vines. A warm gravelly road in summer. A wine that can age for a decade or blooms in the glass. Fancy fancy fancy.