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Clos Cristal Saumur-Champigny Cabernet Franc, Loire, France, 2017

Clos Cristal Saumur-Champigny

Alcohol: 13.5% Red from France, Loire Year: 2017

This incredibly limited production Cabernet Franc features a complex nose of black and red fruits, dried leaves, chocolate, and subtle spices. On the palate it's fresh, presenting a  harmonious blend of elegant tannins and moderate acidity. Long lasting finish.

Grapes

Cabernet Franc

Mouthfeel

3/5
Body
4/5
Dry
3/5
Acidity
3/5
Tannins
$150.00 SGD
About Producer Nerdy stuff Serving
Clos Cristal, gallery 01 Clos Cristal, gallery 01 Clos Cristal, gallery 01 Clos Cristal, gallery 01

Clos Cristal is a vineyard steeped in heritage and unique charm, located in the heart of the Saumur-Champigny appellation in the Loire Valley. The vineyard was established by Antoine Cristal in the late 19th century, a visionary vintner who constructed an extraordinary network of walls and tunnels to optimize the terroir. These walls, built from tufa limestone, create a microclimate that protects the vines from harsh winds and maintains an even temperature, allowing for the perfect maturation of the grapes. This innovative approach has given Clos Cristal a distinct place in viticulture history, celebrated for its exceptional wines and pioneering spirit​.

The unique terroir of Clos Cristal is further enhanced by its dedication to traditional and sustainable farming practices. The vineyard is renowned for its Cabernet Franc vines, which thrive in the sheltered environment created by the walls. This setting not only enhances the ripening process but also contributes to the rich, complex flavors characteristic of Clos Cristal wines. Visitors to the vineyard are often captivated by the picturesque landscape and the ingenious design that blends nature with human ingenuity, making a visit to Clos Cristal both an exciting and breathtaking experience.

Vineyard

The Clos Cristal terroir is composed of tufa chalk bedrock, which originated in the Cretaceous era. In terms of soils, we move progressively from one terroir to another, from sandy to clay-limestone soils, which allow for great complexity in the structure, balance and aromatics of the wine. This complexity is reinforced by the vines that grow along the walls and pass through the walls offering grapes with very particular characteristics and great maturity. Finally, all these terroirs are surrounded by walls and protected from the northern winds by a wood, which offers us a very specific microclimate that can only be found at Clos Cristal.

Fermentation

The grapes are harvested by hand and then sorted again on a table to eliminate bunches of uneven maturity. All the selected bunches are gently de-stemmed to keep only the berries and eliminate the stalk. The berries fall by gravity into small vats to be vinified. No sulphur is added during the vatting process. During maceration, which lasts on average about thirty days, some pumping over is carried out to extract the colour and the delicate tannins, then the grapes are infused into the fermenting wine until the end of the maceration to give it structure, fatness and finesse. The malolactic fermentation is carried out in vats and then the Clos Cristal is filled into 500L French oak barrels.

Maturation

The wine is aged for 18 months, allowing the already delicate tannins to develop a patina and bringing a nice complexity. After these 18 months of maturing in our troglodyte cellars, it is time for bottling. The wine is gently racked from the barrels into a tank where it will rest for 2 to 3 weeks. The wine is not filtered before bottling.

Alcohol

13.5%

Serving temperature

14-16˚C

Decanting

30 minutes is strongly suggested