Chesnaies, a family domaine, founded in 1869, was the first to bottle its own wine in Bourgeuil, the heart of the Touraine province in the Loire Valley, in 1938. This is wine made in a truly traditional style: it begs for food and wouldn?t mind a light chill for heightened enjoyment in sultry summer weather ? perhaps with a salad course of mixed field greens, sun-warmed walnuts, thinly-sliced Anjou pears and crumbled blue cheese. This 100% Cabernet Franc ? one of the parent grapes of the hybrid Cabernet Sauvignon ? provides all the introduction this unjustly underappreciated varietal needs: in other words, Cabernet trimmed of fat, jam and excess alcohol with a driving energy in the wine and a rough-hewn beauty in the fruit. This pure expression continues to emerge with exposure to air, developing a satiny texture and displaying dark chocolate, dark plum, black cherry and mineral chalkiness with woodsy notes adding complexity and depth. Very lightly filtered, this supple, sylvan treat will pair well with whatever comes sizzling off your charcoal grill this summer.
