Fabien Duveau Les Hauts Poyeux Saumur Champigny Cabernet Franc 2019

Peter Sultan

The fruit vibrations are almost too strong when first opened- but what fruit! Crushed red, ripe cherries, like if Willy Wonka decided to go all in on cherries alone. Things settle down with air & some semblance of balance returns. Also some more typical Cab Franc notes of bay leaf emerge. Mostly drunk w Harissa braised chicken thighs & onions, but its low tannic structure also deal for post meal.

Peter Sultan

Higher end cuvée after I went bonkers with the entry level bottle at 17$. This refines all my earlier impressions & ratchets up the concentration, vivid detail, & the fruit quality-has now a cool blue thing (read: not purple), almost petrol feel. At 29$ just an outrageous value & look forward to the few other bottles I’ve stowed for aging. Cab Franc haters, pls note no vegetal or pencil shaving notes- or if there are, they’re submerged in this joyous fruit.