Les Quatre Piliers Touraine Première Cuvée Cabernet Franc 2021

Les Quatre Piliers Première Cuvée is a Touraine Cabernet Franc from 45- to 50-year-old massal-selection vines on the red clay and flint of Saint-Aignan.

Touraine covers a broad stretch of the middle Loire, and around Saint-Aignan, on the Cher, the soils turn to red clay over silex. Valentin Desloges worked with Thierry Pillot and Rafael Coche in Burgundy before setting up here, and that grounding shows in the shape of his reds. He crops at half the yield the appellation permits. This, the larger of his two Cabernet Franc bottlings, ferments in stainless steel with 5 per cent whole bunches and no added sulphur for a fortnight, then moves to used barrels from Cheval Blanc to complete a year's ageing. The style is lithe and pulpy, closer to the slender tannins and elegant frame of Thierry Germain's Saumur-Champigny than to the Chinon or Bourgueil archetype, and the fruit has the crunch the French call croquant.

Drink now and over the next five years. Serve lightly chilled at around 16°C with charcuterie, roast pork or grilled vegetables.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.