Les Quatre Piliers Touraine Grande Cuvée Cabernet Franc Au Dessus de Vitré 2021 (6 Bottles) Loire Valley, France

Gold Medal (Concours des Vins de Loire)

Home to the domaine’s oldest Cabernet Franc, the 70-year vines in Au dessus de Vitré root down through a blanket of red clay and limestone before tapping into the Turonian limestone bedrock below. It’s a terroir that infuses a deeper register of floral and mineral flavour than the Première Cuvée listed above. There’s a change in winemaking, too. Maceration lasts considerably longer at 22 days, with the juice slowly infusing flavour and gentle tannin from the grape’s skins.