2005 Cave des Vignerons de Saumur

2005 Caves des Vignerons de Saumur

We’ve had this one in storage for a few months and when dinner was set as pan seared grass-fed sirloin with mushroom risotto and baby sweet peas on the side, I figured this was a good match. We had this a few months ago at a tasting hosted by The Mercantile, a spot you should check out anytime you are in the Decatur area. The wines were all courtesy of Big Boat Wine, a distributor of quality, small production wines. I believe the price was around $13 – 15. Don’t quote me.

This wine hails from the Loire Valley in France, specifically the Anjour-Saumur sub-region. The grape is Cabernet franc, a varietal that is more often used as a minor blending grape in Bordeaux and California meritage than bottled as a varietal. Of course, we are talking old world wine here, so varietal is less important than sense of place, aka terroir. You know what, so long as it tastes good, I don’t care what you call it.

Cab franc is notorious for being herbal or even weedy in the aromatics department. It can be unpleasant when assuming the starring role, but I find it really does work some magic when used in a blend. Refer back to this blending event I attended (and helped win!) earlier this year. As for being the feature varietal, this is the second time (first was from Carrefour) I’ve had a really good example of what the grape can achieve when handled properly. I really need to explore Loire Valley reds more often, but there is only so much one can do.

The aromatics on this wine were not real strong, with a light nose of some floral dusted dried cherry that had fallen into the herbal spice rack. It tasted better than it smelled and I don’t mean that it smelled bad, I just didn’t get a lot of aromatics. The palate was soft, with a food appropriate squirt of acidity, accompanied by velvety tannins that left your mouth watering for more risotto. Not that your mouth wasn’t watering already, but the wine really worked well with all the dishes.

I have to say, the grass fed sirloin was really tasty. While the grill awaits repairs, I had to make due with the old trusty cast iron skillet. Man oh man do I love the sizzle of meat in a cast iron skillet. The generous portion hand of fresh ground sea-salt and cracked pepper really made the meat come to life, which is a weird thought since it was being cooked. A couple of minutes on each side and we had rare, almost blue steak. The meat was tender and very flavorful. I love it when Whole Foods runs grass fed meats on sale.

The above average wine disappeared quickly, with nary a drop left to feed the eternally thirsty drain. Even the decanter seemed to not want to let go of its last few drops, as if savoring the contents for itself. I have to say, this is definitely a label we’ll look for again, especially since it went so well with this particular meal, something that makes more of an appearance during these comfort food craving months.

No haiku for this, just the simple enjoyment of the wine.