chinon cuvée fabrice vignoble gasnier 2007
ByLike many of our producers, Fabrice Gasnier has redefined his family’s farm – taking it from high-yield farming for négociant bottlings, to bio-dynamic, organic, low-yield farming for fine, estate-bottled wines.
The 50 year-old Breton (Cabernet Franc) vines that produce this wine yield concentrated, aromatically complex wine vintage after vintage under Fabrice’s care.
After primary fermentation in stainless steel, the “Cuvée Fabrice” goes directly into small, wooden barrels (some are new) for the malolactic, which adds to its rich silky texture. The signature wine of the estate, this is a limited production Chinon which has a prestigious past and a bright future.
Regional History
The Loire River runs 635 miles from the Cévennes Mountains in southeastern France to the Atlantic Coast and flows through (or near) over 60 different appellations. During its long history, the hillsides along the banks provided well-drained soils on which to grow grapes, and the river itself provided a transportation network to outside markets.
During the Rennaissance, Rabelais published his satirical works that contained joyous reference to the wines of his hometown, Chinon. The Cabernet Franc (locally referred to as Breton) is the primary grape of the region which also grows Cabernet Sauvignon and small plantings of Chenin Blanc for the rare whites.
Regional Foods
The lower half of the Loire River, the longest in France, runs through more than forty wine appellations, among them Touraine, Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume, Vouvray, Chinon, Saumur, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, and Muscadet. This broad valley, noted for its big skies and big chateaux, doesn’t boast an indigenous cuisine. Nevertheless, the rich soil and the varied landscape provide a bounty of raw materials for a cook.
Diverse livestock are raised on local farms; the Atlantic coast and the river itself supply plentiful fish; vegetables and grains are harvested from the large, well-tended kitchen gardens seen everywhere.
So one drinks Muscadet with Atlantic oysters and pike au beurre blanc, Vouvray with friture de la loire (fried freshwater fish) or pork rillettes.
Rillons, little fists of pork belly, might be enjoyed with a glass of Montlouis. The reds of Chinon and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil often accompany jugged hare, pork with prunes or venison. Restaurants offer baked cod, escargot, frog’s legs and freshwater fish pate with Pouilly-Fumé.
© 2008 Moore Brothers Wine Company