Domaine Cognard, Cabernet Franc "Cuvée Estelle" Saint Nicholas de Bourgueil, Loire Valley, France 2020

100% Cabernet Franc

Cognard's Cuvée Estelle Cab Franc has a fragrant bouquet with red fruit such as raspberry, blackcurrant, and strawberry.  On the palate, the wine is fruity and easy to drink. Pair this with any number of simple summer dishes, charcuterie, grilled meats, fish, goat cheese.

1974 was a good year for Lydie Taluau with Max Cognard. It was that year that Lydie inherited 1 hectare of vines at the northwest end of Touraine and they established Domaine Lydie et Max Cognard. It was also the year that Lydie and Max’s daughter, Estelle, was born.

Domaine Cognard has 11 ha of vines in A.O.P Saint-Nicolas de Bourgueil – The majority of these soils are made up of old alluvium. The sandy soils bring suppleness and elegance to the wine. 4 ha of vines in A.O.P Bourgueil – There are 3 types of soil here: majority clay-limestone, gravel, and sandy silt.

The vineyards are devoted in entirety to Cabernet Franc, planted at a density of 4,500 vines/ha, with the rows of vines interspersed with grass to keep down the weeds and to force the vines to root deeper for nourishment. Since the 1980s, the estate had practiced lutte raisonnée, or reasoned agriculture, but in 2017 they made the decision to covert to organic agriculture, and 2018 was their first organic vintage. In 2020, their domaine was officially certified organic.