The Enduring Magic of Cabernet Franc from 1934 Vines
Vieille Vignes Cabernet Franc from Joël Taluau comes from a single plot planted in 1934, so when they say “old vines,” they aren't just joshing around. These are wines that are made with high tannin and high acid to lay down and age in their air-conditioned cellar for decades. These are wines that are crafted to be aged longterm, bottled and then not touched or moved until they're ready to be released. I don't know the story of how Keith found these wines, but we are so fortunate that we have these. Thanks to their singular nature, there's nothing else quite like it in our store. We definitely have other aged wines and cellar releases, but a program like Joël Taluau created and now Thierry Foltzenlogel continues is special in a way that's hard to put into words. I hope that the discussion of the wines below helps explain the singular and special nature of this tasting.
My fellow sales people here in Redwood City and I tasted these together, and the comments below, while written from my perspective, include opinions and thoughts shared by everyone included in the tasting. Thanks to Graham, Kai, Alex, and Lilia for participating.
1989 Joël Taluau St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Vieilles Vignes $44.99 Super good, very weird. Notes of bell pepper and jalapeno juice on the nose, with fruit buried far underneath. Super far. Very very far. The palate is light and bright and linear in a way that I would enjoy a lot with food. As it is, it's intriguing and something that I want to sit with and let it slowly evolve in the glass. This is the exact wine for a small group of people who want to enjoy the perfect expression of fully mature Cabernet Franc from one of the only producers in the world doing this kind of extended cellar aging, mostly to show off their wines’ ability to age. Have it with some cheese and crackers or charcuterie and it would be a really wonderful start to a meal or a nice part of a gathering. It's an amazing ride.
This was a wonderful bottle from start to finish, witnessing the evolution in the bottle and the glass in real time was really fun and anyone who wants to have a singular and beautiful experience should give this wine a chance.
2005 Joël Taluau St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Vieilles Vignes $41.99 This is quite a bit younger than the 1989 at just 21 years old. While the 1989 was really open and ready the second the cork came out, this is maturing in the glass and I could see this progressing and opening more and more over an evening. Ripe blackberry, red cherry, sage, bell pepper, jalapeno skin, a little bit of dense earth. The palate is bright, with great acid and a surprising grip of tannin. I want this to have some food to help with that, something braised and kind of fatty.
Definitely let this one open up, because it's just gets prettier and prettier in the glass as it continues to open. The fruit becomes more lush, while the green notes fully integrate themselves into the whole wine. It's exactly what you daydream about a wine opening up perfectly, because that's a totally normal thing that normal people daydream about. The best part is how the palate is opening up too; the tannin is already falling back just a touch and there's this very ripe note on the very front of the palate that gives way to the tannin in a dramatic way. It's really compelling and just so much fun with each sip. Just a great bottle, and I would likely decant this one to give it some air and let any kind of reductive notes just blow off before dinner.
When we went back to the wine after closing the store, it was pretty and integrated and everything you wanted it to be. I wish I’d had a rack of lamb alongside my glass. Nonetheless it was a wonderful and incredibly educational experience for everyone who got a chance to try the wine.
2011 Joël Taluau St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Vieilles Vignes $34.99 The fruit on this is crazy pretty, bright and ripe and fresh. There are some green notes but the fruit is up front and center and taking up most of my attention. I found out later that this wasn't everyone's experience and they felt the pyrazine came out very early for them, so just a great example of different focuses for different people. This is, in my semi-humble opinion, objectively delicious (note: I have been informed I cannot call my very subjective opinion objective, so let’s just say the wine is really really good). There's a lushness that develops after about half an hour, but it doesn't make me love it any less. The pyrazine is definitely coming out and integrating more for me, now they're dancing together with the fruit in the way you and I want in a Cabernet Franc. And, if that's not what you want, my friend, you do not want Cabernet Franc.
The palate is bright and fresh, the tannin nice and grippy as you'd expect from something this young, but that's where it's interesting right? Why am I calling something that's 15 years old "young"? It's not just in comparison to the other two, but because it is drinking so incredibly fresh you could be easily forgiven for completely mistaking the vintage for something recent. This is youthful and vibrant on the palate, with both acidity and tannin, but acidity always winning this race.
After a couple hours open, the nose on this felt complete. Everything became super integrated. It is one, and it is whole. I enjoyed this so much after it had time to breathe in the bottle, and I think it would continue to get better.
Overall Analysis:
You have to admit that Joël Taluau really has the right idea. These are wines that can be laid down and aged for decades. They have all the sophistication and elegance that people expect from an incredibly well-made agable wine, but without the super-ultra-mega-premium pricing that some well-aged wines demand. These wines, every single one of them, is not just a bottle of wine but an entire experience and a proof of concept. They are something uniquely special that deserve our love and attention.