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: 1996 Joël Taluau St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Vieilles Vignes

1996 Joël Taluau St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Vieilles Vignes

SKU #1120139 91 points John Gilman

Outer quote mark The 1996 Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil “Vieilles Vignes” is the first wine I have ever tasted from Domaine Taluau and I was quite impressed. Monsieur Taluau started with a couple of hectares of vines in 1970 and has planted more on his estate as the years have allowed; he was joined full-time at the domaine by his daughter Véronique and her husband, Thierry Foltzenlogel in 1993. The domaine’s ’96 Vieilles Vignes bottling of Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil is deep and complex on the nose, offering up scents of dark berries, cassis, tree bark, cigar ash, dark soil tones and a touch of menthol in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, ripe and tangy, with a fine core of fruit, good soil undertow, tangy acids, still some ripe backend tannin and a long, complex finish. This is a very good bottle with plenty of life still ahead of it. Inner quote mark (5/2023)

90 points Int'l Wine Cellar

Outer quote mark Impressively saturated ruby-red color. Complex aromas of black raspberry, kirsch, Valrhona chocolate, smoke and gunflint. Tactile and quite concentrated; really dense with extract. Ripe acidity gives the deep flavors lovely clarity. A real fruit essence: the wine somewhat chewy tannins and alcohol are hidden by fruit. (ST) 90+ Inner quote mark (12/1998)

K&L Notes

Joël Taluau is a fabulous grower in St. Nicolas de Bourgueil known for making some of the purest expressions of Cabernet Franc in the Loire, unmarred by the intrusion of oak—which he hasn't used in production since 1986. He was also the first producer in the appellation to begin domaine bottling. The Vieilles Vignes, from a single plot of Cabernet Franc planted in 1934, is prized for its power, depth and grace. This flagship wine is meant to age, and this one is really coming into its own.

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1996 Joël Taluau St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Vieilles Vignes

Price: $34.99

Quantity:

JG: 91

ST: 90

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Product Reviews:

By: Scott Beckerley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 12/8/2021 | Send Email

A red fruited nose of cherry, strawberry and cranberry fruit. On the palate, surprisingly rich mouthfeel with dark cherries and ripe strawberry accompanied by light herb and earth notes. As with the other selections from Joel Taluau, it still tastes amazingly fresh!

By: Dejah Overby | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 12/5/2021 | Send Email

This '96 shows more earth tones on the nose, brambly but dried blue and red berries with raspberry brightness on the backend. Spiced in the way of cinnamon and chicory root. This bottling brings the finesse of florals and mixed berries into the fold. Enjoy this one with an aged hard cheese, pralines and dried figs.

By: Lilia McIntosh | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 4/7/2017 | Send Email

This wine starts showing what Cabernet Franc turns into with an age. It still has quite high amount of juicy acidity but tannins are well developed and texture of the wine is earthy with subtle black cherry, tobacco, dry herbs and slightly mushroomy notes. Wine is structured, firm and has a lot of vibrancy for a 20 year old wine.

Additional Information:

Varietal:

Cabernet Franc

- While Cabernet Franc, a parent with Sauvignon Blanc to the ubiquitous Cabernet Sauvignon, frequently plays second fiddle in Bordeaux blends (though it does get more props on the Right Bank, where it dominates Cheval Blanc), this lighter, higher acid/lower tannin, early-maturing, perfumed red varietal is far from a wallflower. It is the headliner in the Loire Valley appellations of Saumur-Champigny, Bourgueil, St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, Chinon and Anjou-Villages, where it makes exceptional, food-friendly wines. Outside of France, Cabernet Franc can be found in northern Italy, particularly in Friuli and in California where it is frequently used as a blending grape in Bordeaux-style wines. Heartier in the cold than Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc is gaining a foothold in northern and eastern wine regions like Canada, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Country:

France

- When it comes to wine, France stands alone. No other country can beat it in terms of quality and diversity. And while many of its Region, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne most obviously, produce wine as rare, as sought-after and nearly as expensive as gold, there are just as many obscurities and values to be had from little known appellations throughout the country. To learn everything there is to know about French wine would take a lifetime. To understand and appreciate French wine, one only has to begin tasting them.

Sub-Region:

Loire

- Of all of the French wine producing regions, the Loire might produces the greatest variety of wines. They range from still to sparkling, very dry and acidic to hearty sweet, and clear in color to a deep purple. The diversity of wine produced in this region is due in part to its dynamic climate, which ranges from Continental to Mediterranean. This region is best known for Sauvignon blanc, Chenin blanc and Cabernet Franc. The most famous areas in the Loire Valley may be Sancerre and Vouvray.