Turn the clock back nearly three decades: the 1997 Domaine Couly-Dutheil Chinon "Clos de l’Écho" proves that in elite hands, Cabernet Franc stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Grand Cru Burgundy, Classified Bordeaux, and icons like Clos Rougeard. Sourced from 50+ year-old vines inside a storied walled vineyard once owned by the family of François Rabelais—the famed 16th-century Renaissance writer and humanist who famously championed the joyous spirit of wine—these deep roots in hillside clay and limestone deliver an enduring, noble structure that simply laughs at Father Time.

Couly-Dutheil remains one of the few benchmark French domaines with the discipline to hold back stock for decades in their subterranean caves, releasing them only when fully resolved. After aging in ancient neutral oak casks and resting undisturbed in pitch-black underground tuffeau cellars, this bottle emerges with textbook provenance, where decades of gentle maturation have buffed away every youthful tannin while preserving a mouthwatering spine of acidity, revealing seamless layers of crushed stone, forest floor, pipe tobacco, green peppercorn, and dried black cherries.

Why You’ll Love It

• Direct Ex-Cellar Provenance: Tucked away in pitch-black, underground tuffeau caves for nearly three decades,arriving in pristine condition straight from the estate.

• Legendary Monopole Terroir: Sourced exclusively from 50+ year-old heritage vines inside the historic walled clos perched directly opposite the fortress Château de Chinon.

• Peak Maturity & Precision: Delivers the ethereal complexity of fully resolved Cabernet Franc—dried black fruit,cigar box, and wet stone—while retaining electric freshness and structural lift.

How to Serve It

• Optimal Cellar Temperature: Serve slightly chilled at 55°F–60°F (13°C–15°C) to keep its vibrant acidity taut and its savory aromatics sharply in focus.

• Gentle Aeration: Decant off the natural sediment 20 to 30 minutes before pouring to allow its tertiary layers of autumn leaves and spice to fully unfurl.

• Classic Autumnal Pairings: Spectacular alongside roasted duck breast with cherry reduction, rosemary-crusted rack of lamb, or a rustic French lentil stew with fresh herbal pistou.