Domaine de Pallus, Les Pensées de Pallus, Chinon, Loire, France 2016

“The 2016 Chinon Les Pensées de Pallus is an impressive Cabernet that opens with an intense, very elegant and refined bouquet with minty notes and olive aromas spicing the noble, dark and elegant fruit. Silky, fresh and elegant on the palate, this is a full-bodied, smooth and charming yet also very concentrated, intense and structured Chinon with a juicy but also tight and tannic finish that might become a bit dry with age. Matured in Burgundian barrels for 12 months and another six months in béton cuves, this is a vital and stimulating effort from Bertrand and one of my favorites of this domain. Tasted in June 2021. Due to spring frost, 2016 was a disaster in the valley, but in the coteaux, I was lucky to see my fruit surviving. To me, 2016 is like 1996, 2006 and 2012. The acidity and balance are formidable. I consider it a rather feminine vintage, very delicate and intelligent, and everything is built up on this beautiful acidity,” says Bertrand Sourdais.”-92WA

For many Bordeaux wine partisans, it’s a matter of faith that if you want the best Cabernet Franc, you should go to St. Émilion or Pomerol on Bordeaux’s Right Bank. True, the unrivaled majesty of Cheval Blanc is largely due to its two-thirds Cabernet Franc. But you’d be hard-pressed to find another major Bordeaux château willing to put Cabernet Franc in the spotlight.

It’s different in the Loire valley, where for centuries, great, pure Cabernet Franc has been grown very quietly in the vicinities of Chinon, Bourgeuil and Saumur. The best wines have incredible texture and perfume, and finally the world is waking up to their compelling beauty. The “discovery” of Clos Rougeard has surely helped spike that movement, but a host of Loire Valley producers are now carrying the banner for this variety’s extraordinary potential.

One of these producers is Bertrand Sourdais, whose recent work at his family’s estate places him among the finest Cabernet Franc producers in the world today.

The Return

Bertrand grew up at Pallus but decamped for Spain after completing his enology studies in Bordeaux. While achieving stardom in Spain, Bertrand remained passionate about his native Chinon, and for its emblematic variety, Cabernet Franc. And so, it was inevitable that he would someday apply his gifts at his family’s estate.

In the early 2000s, with his father’s retirement nearing, Bertrand took up the challenge of creating something great at Pallus. In Spain, he had learned to question orthodoxy and—in returning to Pallus—he believed he could chart a new course.

His goal, ultimately, was to honor Chinon’s soils and its ancient traditions. But he knew that do so he would need to correct the flaws that persisted in the region’s traditional methods, while avoiding the mistakes typically made by modernists.

The Quest

Bertrand began his quest in the autumn of 2003. From the start, he has worked in the vineyards to create harmony and balance, while striving tirelessly to find the potential of each vine. And though biodynamics have become an important tool for many Loire Valley growers, they were merely a starting point in Bertrand’s quest to set his vineyards on the right path.

Of course, he has completely rethought the winemaking process; often reverting to techniques favored by much earlier generations. He is employing extended macerations—up to an astonishing forty days—to capture the “true” personality of Chinon. Elévage is similarly long and gentle; he primarily ages his wines in used barrels from elite Burgundy estates. The wines are handled less, and bottled later, than those of almost any other domaine in Chinon.