Chateau de Fosse Seche Eolithe Cabernet Franc

Château de Fosse-Sèche Eolithe Cabernet Franc is a single-vineyard Loire red from the Saumur-Champigny zone, grown on a seventeen-hectare knoll of silex flint fractured into iron oxides — the geological formation that gives the wine its name. Guillaume and Adrien Pire farm the estate biodynamically, certified Ecocert organic and Biodyvin, and the vineyard has been in continuous viticulture since the Benedictine monks planted vines here in the tenth century. The blend is ninety-nine percent Cabernet Franc with one percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Pire brothers ferment and age the wine in concrete eggs and older barrique barrels, avoiding new oak to let the site speak. This is Loire Valley Cabernet Franc for drinkers who want mineral structure and savory depth, not just fruit. The estate sits near Doué-la-Fontaine in the Anjou-Saumur heartland, buffered by thirty hectares of woods, fields, and a national bird sanctuary — Guillaume and Adrien keep bee hives and goats on the property, integrating livestock into their biodynamic cycle. Cabernet Franc accounts for seventy percent of total production at Fosse-Sèche, with the balance Chenin Blanc, and the flint-rich topsoil imparts a mineral edge that anchors the wine's red-fruit core. The estate has documented wine production as early as the twelve hundreds, and the Pire family continues that tradition with minimal-intervention methods and meticulous attention to the biodynamic calendar. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with native yeasts, and the concrete-egg élevage preserves freshness while adding textural weight. The 2020 vintage shows red currant, cassis, and wet stone, with a graphite-and-tobacco thread that opens over thirty minutes in the glass. The tannins are fine and chalky, the acidity bright enough to carry the wine through grilled lamb shoulder, duck confit, or roasted beet salad with chèvre. Serve this slightly cool — around sixty degrees — to highlight the mineral lift, or cellar it for three to five years if you want the fruit to settle and the earthy notes to come forward. The wine is vegan-friendly and carries no fining agents, so expect a slight haze in the bottle. Available for pickup at our Lincoln Park bottle shop at 1128 W Armitage Ave, local Chicago delivery, or nationwide shipping.