($57, Wilson Daniels): The Oxford Companion to Wine notes that Grolleau, a local red grape of the Loire, “produces extremely high yields of relatively thin, acid wine and it is to the benefit of wine drinkers that it is so systematically being replaced with Gamay and, more recently, Cabernet Franc.”  Indeed, Grolleau is held in such low regard by regulators that it is not allowed in appellation wines.  The authorities will want to reconsider their regulations after tasting this superb bottling.  I assume the quality and excitement this wine delivers is from a combination of old vines (60 to 90 years) and the talents of Anne Claude Leflaive.   With leafy undertones and hints of ash in the nose, it suggests Cabernet Franc.  On the palate its firmness and tannic structure is reminiscent of Cabernet Sauvignon, but without the power of that grape.  The combination makes it a wonderfully complex and harmonious wine that intrigues you with its “not just fruit” character.  I think it would show best in another couple of years as the tannins round out.
92 Michael Apstein Aug 26, 2014