Loire Valley
François Cazin Cour-Cheverny Blanc '19
François Cazin’s Romorantin is brought to the US by one of our favorite importers, Louis/Dressner Selections, and we’re going to leave the introduction to them:
“Let us tell you how we met François Cazin. In the early 1990s, Joe Dressner and David Lillie (then working as the Loire buyer for Garnet Wine and Liquors) would travel each winter to attend the Salon des Vins de Loire. That fateful winter, the two had set out to find a producer from the recently created Cheverny appellation. Both started from opposite sides of the stand and tasted through every producer there. After comparing notes, the only wines both had truly enjoyed were François’s. They approached him once more, this time together to ask if he’d be interested in having his wines imported to the United States. Here we are, nearly 30 years later and still working together.”
Cazin’s Cour-Cheverny cuvée is made exclusively from Romorantin, an ancient local grape characterized by high acidity and minerality. When the grape is allowed to achieve a high degree of ripeness, the resulting wine has a rich flavor profile, including apricot and roasted nuts, yet maintains a fresh profile thanks to its lively acidity. The 2019 is a great example of how complex Romorantin can be, offering flavors of stone fruit, yellow apple, honeysuckle, and citrus. The mouthfeel is on the rounder side, but the wine has a cleansing acidity and a long finish. It would be a lovely partner for chèvre en croûte but is perfectly enjoyable on its own.
“Let us tell you how we met François Cazin. In the early 1990s, Joe Dressner and David Lillie (then working as the Loire buyer for Garnet Wine and Liquors) would travel each winter to attend the Salon des Vins de Loire. That fateful winter, the two had set out to find a producer from the recently created Cheverny appellation. Both started from opposite sides of the stand and tasted through every producer there. After comparing notes, the only wines both had truly enjoyed were François’s. They approached him once more, this time together to ask if he’d be interested in having his wines imported to the United States. Here we are, nearly 30 years later and still working together.”
Cazin’s Cour-Cheverny cuvée is made exclusively from Romorantin, an ancient local grape characterized by high acidity and minerality. When the grape is allowed to achieve a high degree of ripeness, the resulting wine has a rich flavor profile, including apricot and roasted nuts, yet maintains a fresh profile thanks to its lively acidity. The 2019 is a great example of how complex Romorantin can be, offering flavors of stone fruit, yellow apple, honeysuckle, and citrus. The mouthfeel is on the rounder side, but the wine has a cleansing acidity and a long finish. It would be a lovely partner for chèvre en croûte but is perfectly enjoyable on its own.
Perman
France
Details
| Producer | François Cazin |