Domaine de La Chevalerie, “Diptyque” 2020

Perhaps the greatest perennial value in French Wine, the beautiful Cabernet Francs from Domaine de La Chevalerie, located in Bourgeuil and for many decades practicing some of the best biodynamic farming in the valley. Their entry level Diptyque is a standard-bearer for delightful, pure Cabernet Franc meant for daily consumption. Every bit of lift and acidity you could want from Cabernet Franc with the trademark pigmented look in the glass foretelling the earthy underbelly of the wine, what makes it bistro or burger worthy. For a great read on the domaine, you can look at the blog entry on Pascaline Lepeltier’s site – a deep-dive into all things Chevalerie. For another note on the remarkable project that is the Domaine, take the stories from the winemaking family themselves, talking about riding bikes and chasing one another through the family’s underground cellar which is actually a giant (miles long) limestone cave, where all the wines spontaneously ferment and age – essentially underneath the literal  vineyard from which the fruit was harvested. There is the feel of an elemental, old-old-old (pre-industrial) endeavor being sustained at the Domaine. Bourgeuil as it might have tasted centuries ago. And this, their latest release entry-level Cabernet Franc, is from biodynamically farmed vines on sandy/gravelly soils very close to the Loire itself and is aged in neutral barrel for a minimum of 3 years before bottling and even more time in bottle before release. Insane value; forever one of the shop’s favorites.