For many sommeliers, perhaps the greatest compliment you can give a wine is to describe it as “Burgundian.” It may be a little overused, but let’s face it—in the world of red wine, Burgundian Pinot Noir sets a really high bar. It encapsulates that elusive combination of purity, elegance and perfume; that delicate balance of sweet fruit and savory earth; that graceful way the wines seem to just glide across the palate. Great Burgundy is a soul-stirring experience, and when Loire Valley Cabernet Franc is at its best, it can do everything a great Burgundy can do—at a fraction of the cost.
Anyone who’s tasted Clos Rougeard can attest to that, but you don’t need to spend upwards of $200 for the experience. Today’s wine gets it done for just $32. To use another well-worn phrase, “La Chaintrée” truly is a wine that is grown, not made: The Legrand family understands that when you have fruit this good, you must treat it with respect—and, more importantly, patience. This 2015 vintage, aged six years, is the domaine’s current release, unleashed just at the moment of perfection. If you come over to my house while I’ve still got some of this in my cellar, consider yourself warned—I might pull this out for a blind tasting and trick you into calling it Burgundy. It’s a guess I might have made myself!
The picturesque Domaine Legrand is instantly recognizable as one of Saumur-Champigny’s most historic estates—the original 15th century cellars, carved by hand from the limestone chalk known locally as tuffeau, are a dead giveaway. Based in the village of Varrains, the Legrands have worked the land since the 17th century. While Clotide Legrand has infused the estate with new energy since taking over for her father, René-Noël, in 2014, she has maintained his commitment to traditional winemaking. Aside from a tiny plot of Chenin Blanc, almost all of Legrand’s 18 hectares of gently sloping hillside vineyards are planted to Cabernet Franc, spread across the ancient, porous tuffeau of Saumur, Dampierre, Chacé, Varrains, and Souzay-Champigny—widely recognized as some of the greatest terroirs of the region.
Warm winters and cool summers provide a temperate environment for the grapes to thrive. Legrand’s viticultural practices have only served to enhance the beneficial conditions; in 1991, René became the first in Varrains to plant cover crops between his vineyard rows, to encourage healthy soils and low yields; the family’s green harvest technique also helps suppress the size of the crop, in order to maximize intensity and concentration in the fruit. While Legrand’s vines average around 45 years in age, the oldest plots were planted in 1927.
After a highly selective harvest of mature, sustainably farmed Cabernet Franc, the entire crop is destemmed prior to native yeast fermentation in temperature controlled tanks, followed by extended maceration and naturally occurring malolactic fermentation. The structured, ageworthy La Chaintrée—selected from the estate’s very best plots—undergoes a three-year élévage in 500-liter oak demi-muids, before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. Although some Saumur-Champigny estates practice chaptalization (sugar addition) in cooler vintages, Legrand rejects this technique, contributing to their reputation within the appellation for long-lived wines of freshness and refinement, stamped with the distinctive signatures of their exceptional terroirs.
The flecks of orange that accent the rim of this ruby-hued wine show the interplay between La Chaintrée’s youthful vibrancy and early stages of evolution—this is a Saumur-Champigny that’s currently in a remarkable spot, firing on all cylinders. The nose erupts with just-mature aromas of red currant, dried red cherry and fig, green tobacco leaf, pencil lead, wet clay, and dried roses and violets, alongside a more lifted perfume of freshly cut flowers, ripe fruit confit, and sour cherry. The oak influence is barely perceptible at this point, with no hard edges and a gentle tannic structure. The gorgeous fruit sweetness on the palate really brings to mind a great Burgundy, in all the best ways. If stored correctly, this 2015 has another seven to 10 years ahead of it, if not longer, but it’s approaching its best years of drinking right now. Pull the cork 30 to 40 minutes before serving—on the cooler side, around 60 degrees—in large Burgundy stems, of course. A simple classic like pot-au-feu would be an ideal pairing to let this stunning wine shine; toss some veggies, beef, and plenty of fresh herbs in a stone pot, whip up some roasted or mashed potatoes, and round up your closest friends for one of those epic meals that lasts late into the night. Cheers!
