During my early Sommelier days I remember coming across a red wine from the Loire Valley in France - a Chinon from producer Olga Raffault; it was new to me, this 100% Cabernet Franc was interesting, with a vegetal/savoury character, also very important, rather affordable. So I started looking for other red wines from the Loire, then older vintages, Cab. Franc from other countries, tried to learn the different expressions of the varietal - they were all different but the same - I was hooked.
I started adding Cab. Franc to the wine list but it wasn't really selling. And it puzzled me, was it too cheap? Why do customers seem repulsed by the suggestion of a wine that smells of tart red fruits and fresh vegetables???
Just like with hardcore trash-metal fans, when you want to listen to the classics you revert to Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer. No, no other suggestion will do! Same with customers who want to drink Cabernet Sauvignon, they can be hardcore and will only accept Bordeaux or Napa.
Sure, I don't expect all customers to trust my recommendations blindly, I won't play Britney Spears if you want heavy guitars, but I might have a hidden gem there that will resonate with Megadeth's 1990 Rust In Peace. And some regular customers do have a certain degree of faith in my knowledge (of the wine list) and let me steer them to a different record.
It is with one of these regulars, who we'll refer to as Mr. DP, that I came upon how to enthuse customers to drink Cab. Franc.
Mr. DP visits the restaurant at least four times a week, sometimes a lot more (it was like this before Covid of course); he’s always in a good mood and makes pleasant conversation, everybody in the restaurant knows him, we all like him. This one particular time he’s had a difficult day at the office and needed some nourishment, food for the soul; he came to the restaurant, sat at the bar and waved hello, I know he wants his usual - a bottle of refreshing Chardonnay and snacks while the red is being decanted - but today he wants me to surprise him with a bottle of red wine, my choice.
And this got me thinking Mr DP has tried most of the red Bordeaux in my list… what do I have that tastes like an old Bordeaux, but it’s not from Bordeaux? What is so good it will surprise him? And will he like it? I want to play it safe, because if the wine doesn’t provide the wow factor, my customer-somm relationship will revert back to square one.
It feels like a big leap of faith and the only way to find out is to give him the wine blind. And hope for the best.
I went to the cellar, picked a 1995 Château de Ligré ‘La Roche Saint Paul’ Chinon, decanted the wine in the cellar (left the bottle there) and went back to the bar with a set of fresh glasses and the decanter. Sat down with him, sipped the Chardonnay and told Mr. DP to give the red wine 45 minutes in the decanter before tucking in.
Clearly, Mr. DP is not up for waiting so long and after about 20 minutes the red wine is poured. He finds a resemblance to Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux, or is it Les Forts de Latour maybe? He can’t put his finger on it, it is very familiar but it’s not Bordeaux. It’s certainly his cup of tea, Mr. DP is digging the wine big time. I fetch the bottle from the cellar and hand it over.
This was Mr. DP expecting something on the lines of Metallica's Ride the Lightning and me coming up with Led Zeppelin's II - A Whole Lotta Love.
I’m on cloud nine. Relieved, actually, that in the eyes of the customer my status of “Wine Supremo” is to be retained. While sipping his last glass of 1995 Chinon Mr. DP went on to buy two bottles of Clos Rougeard, using his mobile phone right there in the bar. I can only hope he will carry on looking for older vintages, Cab. Franc from other countries, etc.
I’ve furthermore earned an extra notch of respect from my team, who now won’t think I’m crazy when I add a bunch more of Cab. Franc to the list.
So, why would anyone go for a Cab. Franc if they want a Cab. Sav.? Easy. Because Cab. Franc is the daddy.
Through DNA profiling to grapevine, in 1997, it was discovered that Cab. Sav. is the offspring of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. Cab. Franc can also claim parentage to Merlot and Carmenère, prolific right?
That means Cab. Franc must predate Cab. Sav. and Merlot by quite a while. And it also means they all share some similar traits - those veggie tones of slightly under-ripe Sauvignon and Carmenère; the dusty, pencil shavings aromas of aged Bordeaux; the ability to age gracefully.
Like all heavy metal bands have been influenced by Led Zeppelin, all Bordeaux blends will have that bit of Rock and Roll from Cabernet Franc.
While I haven't been able to source more Ch. de Ligre, you can Ramble On with these cracking bottles:
California, USA
Friuli Grave, Italy
Saumur Champigny, France
Mendoza, Argentina
Anjou, France
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