WEBSTER BARNES SELECTION

Domaine Angelliaume

Chinon

RED

Cabernet Franc

France

2022

91 points Wine Enthusiast

Total acidity

4.13 g/L

3.7

Alcohol

12,5%

Volume

750ml

TASTING NOTES

Les Trois Terroirs is nicely aromatic, with good lift to the crushed berry, cassis and tobacco aromas. In the mouth the wine is graceful and supple, an elegant take on cabernet franc with lively red fruit on the attack and a rounded, textured midpalate. On the palate, red fruit is the focus, with upfront blackberry and plum notes balanced by a smoky, mineral complexity. Finishes with silky tannins and a zip of lively acidity. Will drink at peak until 5 years from the vintage date.

FOOD PAIRINGS

Nachos, charcuterie, backyard barbecue staples like grilled pork or chicken and vegetables.

DOMAINE

The result of 8 generations of Chinon winemaking expertise, this wine is produced from an impressive 40 hectares of vineyards in a variety of locations throughout the appellation, each with a unique terroir expression. The parcels are vinified separately, then assembled later in either terroir blends or bottled directly as site-specific cuvées.

TERROIR

The cuvée Trois Terroirs is a blend of 3 distinctly different vineyard sites, representing the remarkable diversity of the Chinon region. The valley floor consists of gravelly, well-draining and nutrient-poor soils, resulting in a smooth, supple, fruity character in the finished wines. The steep slopes of the hillsides surrounding the domaine feature the region’s unique Tufa geology, a chalky, clay-limestone subsoil that produces elegant, fleshy wines with a distinct mineral finish. The hillside plateaus are dominated by clay and silex, giving structured wines with good tannic framework.

WINEMAKING

Each vineyard parcel is fermented separately, to respond to the particular needs of each site. On average, the hillside fruit is harvested first, followed by the plateaus, with the valley floor vineyards ripening up to two weeks later. Each lot is vinified separately, in temperature-controlled, concrete tanks. On average, the fermentations are somewhat slow, conducted at relatively cool temperatures to limit the extraction of Cabernet Franc’s notoriously edgy tannins. Malolactic fermentation takes place in concrete as well, followed by blending trials to determine the unique composition of Les Trois Terroirs every year as a function of vintage conditions. The wines are racked, blended and bottled before the next year’s harvest.