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JL Denois Cabernet Franc

JL Denois Cabernet Franc

$34.99

Nestled in the foothills of the Pyrenees in Southwest France is the coolest climate and highest elevation appellation in the Languedoc: Limoux. There, outside the lofty Medieval village of Roquetaillade, lives Limoux's most famous vigneron, Jean-Louis Denois, the gentleman responsible for bringing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to this ideal terroir in the 80’s. His eponymous domaine, founded after he sold his first Limoux project Domaine de l’Aigle to Gerard Bertrand twenty years back, includes 15 hectares of vines at 400-500 meters above sea level on limestone and clay soils. Denois quickly rose to prominence in France for offering incredible bubbles at incredible prices. His crémants used the finest techniques and clones of Champagne without the same price tag, earning the regard of leading Champagne experts like Jancis Robinson who deemed the wines “a little fruitier, more opulent, and less obviously lees-aged than the best champagnes but infinitely better than cheap champagne” by the turn of the millennium. The wines have only continued on their path to terroir singularity and deliciousness over these last twenty years. 

750 ml
Region:France > Languedoc-Roussillon
Vintage:2019
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The Aude has this perfect mesoclimate where the fall lingers softly and without much rain, allowing for long hang times while the grapes go on developing ever more phenolic complexity and the cool nights keep the acidity from dropping off. Not only is this ideal for sparkling wine and Burgundian fruit, but in the warmer plots, this effect has been tremendous on the Southwest/Bordeaux varieties, producing fleet-footed, invitingly elegant expressions in Denois’s hands. This Cabernet Franc leans toward delicacy with gentle tannins and expressive red currant fruit aromas supported by cool climate notes of bell pepper and brambles. With decanting, the red currant notes morph into black currant as a hint of mint emerges, growing denser and more handsome still. This pairs beautifully well with sautéed veal with morels, basquaise chicken, stuffed calamari, and porcini mushroom omelettes.