Chinon and Bourgueil: Cabernet Franc du Val de Loire

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Chinon (AOC 1937) and Bourgueil (including Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, AOC 1937) are the Loire Valley's great red wine appellations — both producing exclusively from Cabernet Franc, locally called Breton (from a corruption of 'Brittany,' where the grape was once widely planted). These wines represent a completely different expression of Cabernet Franc from Bordeaux: lighter, higher in acidity, more aromatic, with a distinctive violet-and-graphite nose and a peppery, almost vegetal character that is either loved or misunderstood. Chinon, on the Vienne River, produces wines from three soil types creating three styles: sandy gravel (light, fruity, drink young), tuffeau slopes (medium-bodied, the classic style), and plateau argilo-calcaire (structured, tannic, age-worthy — the grand crus). Bourgueil, across the Loire on its north bank, tends to be firmer and more tannic, with the tuffeau giving a characteristic chalky grip. In the kitchen: Loire Cabernet Franc is the red meat wine of the garden of France. It pairs with the region's charcuterie (rillons, rillettes, andouillette), with game (the Loire forests produce excellent venison and wild boar), and with the slow-cooked dishes of Touraine. Chinon is the traditional partner for géline de Touraine and for the noisettes de porc aux pruneaux — the wine's bright acidity cuts the richness of pork and prunes. In cooking, Chinon replaces Burgundy in the Loire version of coq au vin, producing a lighter, more aromatic braise. Bourgueil's tannic structure makes it the wine for game terrines and pâtés. Both wines are served at 14-16°C — cooler than Bordeaux, to preserve their aromatic freshness. Rabelais, born in Chinon, wrote of the local wine that it was 'taffeta' — silky, elegant, the opposite of robust.

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