This rare example of a 100% Cab Franc from Bordeaux shows not only varietal character, but profound terroir character.

The vineyards of Château Jeandebout fall within the Entre-Deux-Mers catchment area, which extends east of the Garonne River and south of the Dordogne (the two waterways that meet up in the center of Bordeaux). Located about 30 minutes south of Saint-Émilion, these vineyards mark the transition from the sandy gravel found closer to the Garonne and the clay/limestone mixture found on the famed plateau around Saint-Émilion.

Sourced from Certified Organic vineyards (the inspiration for the name “Belle Nature”), this is 100% Cabernet Franc. The wine is fermented on native yeasts and aged in tank only, but nevertheless shows nice concentration of fruit and a firm, gravelly tannic structure.

Now in its seventh generation, Vignobles Lacoste is the story of a Bordeaux family through the ages. The family first bought vines and land in the 1850s, on one of the highest points on the “Right Bank” of the Garonne River. Now, their 43 hectares of vineyards are planted to 25% Cabernet Franc, with the rest divided between Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sémillon, Sauvignon Gris, and Muscadelle. The historic family “seat” was in Donzac, just east of Garonne-adjacent AOCs like Loupiac and Cadillac.

Yes, this is 100% Cabernet Franc, but what really stands out about this wine is how “Bordeaux” it tastes—there are lots of gravel, graphite, and cigar-box notes, with a blacker cast to the fruit. There’s a beautiful push-pull of sweet versus savory in this wine, with saturated fruit flavors vying for attention with a dark, loamy soil character.