Domaine Grosbois, 2021 Chinon 'Gabare'
No.40 | What's In My Glass
I have had Loire Valley vintages on my brain in recent weeks having written a post on the 2022 vintage last month and also having just got back from the Loire and sharing my preliminary thoughts on the complicated 2024 vintage in last week’s newsletter. Lovers of Loire Valley Cabernet Franc have been blessed with a very good run of vintages in the last decade, each offering up a little something different to be appreciated.
The 2021 vintage is a perfect example of one that has its critics for sure, but I think it has plenty to offer, especially for those that love old school Loire vintages. It was a cooler year overall, particularly compared to 2018, 2020 and 2022, but the fall conditions were favourable for good maturities at harvest while maintaining high levels of acidity and lower alcohols (12.5 to 13%). In the right hands and from the right terroir, the wines can be bright, crunchy, and dangerously drinkable.
The 2021 Gabare from Domaine Grosbois in Panzoult is a perfect example of such a wine. From a selection of the domaine’s parcels in their lieu-dit Le Pressoir, this cuvée is intended to provide a little bit of a snapshot of the domaine’s terroir and also Sylvain and Nicolas’s approach with Cabernet Franc, which, in recent vintages, has moved more towards gentle extractions and fermentations and aging exclusively in concrete. The overwhelming influence in terms of terroir for these parcels is millarges, a type of calcareous sand derived from the Upper Turonian yellow tuffeau chalk that is unique to the Chinon appellation. In a vintage like 2021, this terroir can be quite advantageous in that it is a warmer soil overall and also has superb drainage, two attributes that can aid ripening in cooler years.
In the glass, the 2021 is in a terrific place at the moment. It exhibits beautiful, bright red fruits on the nose and palate, such as cranberry, sour cherry and red currant that mingle with earthier and floral undertones such as lemon thyme, and fragrant peony and violets. The palate is exuberant and energetic with brisk, lively acidity, and the soft, supple tannins are impeccably managed for the 2021 vintage, with a fine, delicate profile that frames the fruit and acidity in a very harmonious way. The wine is juicy, approachable, and immensely drinkable, with an invigorating, peppery finish that brings a sense of levity to the overall fruit profile. Ethereal and companionable, with just the right balance of earth and fruit forwardness, I think this wine would be a fine match with duck confit paired with braised lentils with lardons. And while this may be a more delicate expression of Gabare compared to 2020 or 2022, there is sufficient structure and fruit concentration to carry the wine for the medium term. But in its youth, the pleasure that this wine brings is undeniable, and shows how elite producers can dance with Mother Nature to craft something that is a pure and honest expression of time and place.
From the Archives!
For more on Domaine Grosbois, I featured the Gabare 2015 in a video WAY back in the early days of Cab Franc Chronicles, and more recently the Clos du Noyer 2017.
I was able to secure a bottle of the 2020 Gabare. Hope it's "dangerously drinkable" as well! (love the concept, as well as the alliteration) I looked at the Domaine's website and found that they welcome "explorers" for immersion stays for up to 3 days. That is now at the top of my Bucket List. Cheers!