2017 Gauthier Bel Air Clos Nouveau Bourgeuil

“The 2017 Bourgueil Clos Nouveau opens deep and concentrated on the pure, fresh and intense nose that exhibits spicy notes of blue and black berries. Silky, vital and enormously nervy on the fresh yet concentrated palate, this is an iodine and mineral Cabernet Franc with a tight structure that deserves special handling: aeration! I tasted the wine again after seven days, and it had certainly changed. The nose remained pure and elegant and revealed a deep, intense and complex bouquet with concentrated cherry and dark berry aromas along with iodine notes. Full-bodied, wide and generous on the palate yet firm and with a silky-elegant texture, this is a very intense and robust giant in the making that still needs years to show its true capacity. The finish is stimulating and intense. A spectacular wine, probably one of the greatest red wines from the Loire. Tasted in May 2021.”