Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.3

At dinner at Le Cabotte. Entering a gorgeous drinking window. The nose is classic Chinon, loaded with red currant, crushed herbs, mineral dust, and hints of cassis. Beautiful Cabernet Franc herbaceousness, not green or vegetal, but alive. Red currants, crushed herbs, a little tobacco leaf, iron, stone, and that unmistakable Loire freshness. The fruit has enough generosity from the vintage to give a subtle fleshiness underneath the structure. The palate is all tension and energy. Incredible freshness, mouthwatering acidity, and a long mineral spine carry the wine across the palate. Unlike Baudry’s larger, more powerful bottlings, this is about movement. The fruit feels suspended in the acidity, and every sip seems to pull the next sip forward. After forty minutes of air, the wine became even more expressive. The red currant and herbaceous notes moved to the forefront, joined by gorgeous minerality and tremendous freshness. It is not thick or heavy like Cabernet Sauvignon, nor does it possess the density of Baudry’s biggest cuvées. Instead, it is all acid, tension, energy, and precision. Juicy, vibrant, and effortlessly drinkable, with the kind of electric persistence that makes great Cabernet Franc impossible to put down. — 18 days ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.0

Vintage 2023 | I find it a great joy to drink young Cabernet franc when there is such an explosion of raspberry in smell and taste. | paired with Brussels sprout stew with frankfurters — 8 months ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.0

Vintage 2023 — a year ago

Robin Singhvi

9.8

Amazing rose. Surprisingly a Cabernet Franc grape! But absolutely delicious! — 3 years ago

Manj Gunawardane

9.1

Balance, stuffing and decent complexity. Enough acid to keep it all in balance. Tasty for sure! — 3 years ago

Ben Lehman

9.2

This is ready to go (hence the horrible pours I suppose). Dark inky fruit, tons of spice and perfect acidity to boot. Everyone liked this — 5 years ago

Jay Kline

8.9

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2022 “Le Domaine” pours a deep purple/ruby with an opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of ripe and tart, dark fruits: cassis, blackberries, purple flowers, Poblano pepper, horse blanket and a mix of organic and inorganic earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. I always find this expression to be charming, albeit a bit rustic, and easy to love young while the single vineyard expressions are often backward for many years. Drink now through 2032. — a month ago

Matt Perlman

9.5

Consensus favorite of the four ‘14 Loire CFs (except for my dissenting vote favoring the Baudry, which I had the benefit of tasting the following day). Showing beautifully — 2 months ago

romo

9.2

Put these down and watch the angry tannin melt away. Lighter-bodied right banker. — 8 months ago

Ben Lehman

9.1

New to me on the baudry menu, but one I hope to try again — a year ago

emilie cycz

10

Has some nice acidity — 3 years ago

Robert Krupp

9.2

Slight chill and full of personality. Crunchy fruit and perfect w grilled pork and a simple salad. Great detour from@ baudrys cab francs — 4 years ago

Jonathan Wall

9.1

Recently I had a Baudry Chinon, and a Justification. This Red Mountain Cab Franc is a dead ringer for mixing those together. Which is delicious. (Would have rated higher if it was a tad less hot and dense). — 5 years ago

David Dorn

9.0

Really nice wine! 👌🏻 — a month ago

Matt Perlman

9.4

Lot of funk initially but on day two this really turned into a stunning wine. Give it some air and be open minded if there’s Brett at first because this is special stuff — 2 months ago

Matt Perlman

9.1

This one went in the opposite direction of the Baudry—shut down a bit with some air. Not sure whether it maybe needs more time? — 2 months ago

James Everhart

8.9

Textbook Cabernet Frank drinking well eight years after harvest. 2017 vintage purchased in January 2024 $24. — 8 months ago

Peter Sultan

9.0

May not have the character of say a Baudry or Raffault Chinon, but still a profoundly true-to-terroir Chinon with all that fine grained dark berry earthiness, low on the funko-meter, & just plain ol’ low alcohol fun. Paired with brunch cheesy egg casserole of Gruyère, nutmeg, Parmesan etc that soaks overnight in Half & Half. — 2 years ago

Peter Sultan

9.1

Riper & more dimensional than previous ‘ young’ vintages I’ve had from Raffault, & no cork taint obviously. A note to self that these can be delicious & reasonably priced when bought upon release. Plenty of bright red fruit, a brambly rose petal layer in secondary notes, & enough snap crackle pop in its low tannin body to keep it delicious. I didn’t go deep with Baudry but I did with Raffault despite its rep for faulty wines as they age- but I am excited by the promise here. May my ‘07s age gracefully… — 3 years ago

with Owen

Pooneet K

8.9

Quite different that I remembered for this wine - less intense acidity, slightly more tropical almost. Still a nice wine. — 5 years ago