Francois Cazin Le Petit Chambord Rouge Cheverny

Francois Cazin tends vines of considerable age and the resulting yields are well below average in any given year. His Cheverny is fresh and floral, with appley-texture and crisp acidity. The flavors are sleek and precise. Since 1997, the wine has been bottled unfiltered by gravity. His wines have consistently been the top pick of the vintage at the annual Loire Valley wine show in Angers.

This varietal, with its high acidity and minerality, is angular and rough in mediocre vintages. But when it achieves high ripeness, the wine has astonishing grapey, apricot and roasted nuts flavors, kept fresh and lively by good acidity.