Couly-Dutheil Blanc de Franc | 2022

Crowd-pleaser? No. Weird, wonderful, and the kind of bottle that drags you back for “one more sip”? Sure. This is the original Blanc de Franc (sorry, Heath Porter): 100% Cabernet Franc from Chinon, made like a white. Because Chinon Blanc must be Chenin Blanc by law, this bottling carries the Vin de France classification. From the legendary Couly-Dutheil (est. 1921), this label-chasing, idiosyncratic white first dropped nearly fifteen years ago. Fermented and aged in steel, it drinks with red-wine bravado—slightly oily, spilling into every nook and cranny of your palate. Think fresh and dried straw, citrus cream, white cherry, underripe strawberry, with a mouthful of nutty acidity. ~Allegra Angelo