Jim Budd, Ben Llewellyn and Laure Patry tasted 57 wines, with two Excellent and 18 Extremely Really useful.
Loire Valley Cabernet Franc panel tasting scores
57 wines tasted
Distinctive 0
Excellent 2
Extremely beneficial 18
Really useful 27
Counseled 8
Truthful 2
Poor 0
Entry standards: producers and UK brokers had been invited to submit their latest-release, dry purple wines made out of Cabernet Franc (90% minimal) from the Loire Valley, together with AP, IGP or Vin de France wines, with availability within the UK
I had excessive hopes for this tasting, given the unprecedented, unbroken run of excellent to excellent vintages from 2014 to 2020. And there have been some excellent wines, although there have been additionally some disappointments, even from 2018.
Fellow choose Ben Llewelyn confirmed this outlook: ‘Tough vintages, particularly a collection of frosted years, have examined the mettle and endurance of growers within the area and it confirmed in most of the wines. My total impression of the wines was reasonable – however with some shining stars.’
Scroll right down to see tasting notes and scores for the top-scoring Loire Valley Cabernet Franc wines
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The highest-scoring Loire Valley Cabernet Franc wines:
The wines beneath all scored 90 factors or above
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The judges
Jim Budd is an awarded wine author and photographer. Writing for Decanter since 1989, he’s the DWWA Regional Chair for the Loire. He’s a founder-member of the Les 5 duVin weblog, writes on the risks of wine funding on investdrinks-blog. blogspot.com, plus his personal jimsloire.blogspot.com.
Ben Llewellyn is managing director of wine importer Carte Blanche Wines, and specialises in terroir-driven, low-intervention wines from France and Spain. He has labored within the wine commerce for twenty-four years and at present lives in Wales.
Laure Patry is government head sommelier at The Social Firm, working throughout its world restaurant group. She beforehand labored for Gordon Ramsay Holdings, together with nearly two years at Claridge’s after which six years at Maze.
