2020 Chateau de Fosse-Seche VdF Rouge - Gondwana
Regular price $95.00
The Château de Fosse-Sèche is in the middle Loire Valley, west of Saumur and Bourgeuil. This is cabernet franc (and chenin blanc) country. Benedictine monks first planted vines at Fosse-Sèche in the 1200s. Brothers Adrien and Guillaume Pire established the modern incarnation of the estate in 1998. They farm 15 hectares, with organic and biodynamic certification, amidst their own woods, alfalfa fields, goats, and bees. The vineyard soils here are a distinctive mix of flint, gravel, and clay, without the more common limestone. The Pire brothers’ wines are much-lauded in Europe and appear on many Michelin-starred restaurant lists. Thus far they have largely flown under the radar in the U.S.; we aim to help change that!
'Gondwana' is 100% cabernet franc from 60-70 year-old vines. It’s named after the supercontinent that formed from the breakup of Pangea about 550 million years ago. Native yeast fermentation with maceration of less than 10 days is in egg-shaped concrete tanks, followed by 14 months of élevage in the same concrete eggs. The wine has an elegant medicinality, oodles of minerality, and delicate dark fruits, all at just 11.5% alcohol. This is exceptional, graceful cabernet franc with great complexity and beguiling texture. At four years old, the wine is just starting to show some tertiary flavors. It’s completely worth drinking now, but of course you could wait 5-10 years if you like your cabernet franc with more age. Drink it in a Burgundy stem with duck, fennel soup, or aged cheeses.