François Cazin, 2018 Update
I recall my first encounter with the wines of François Cazin (pictured), nearly a decade ago now, back in 2009. It was the 2004 vintage. Although I knew of his reputation, one seemingly founded to a large degree on a moelleux cuvée named Renaissance, before that moment I don’t think I had even seen a bottle, never mind tasted the wine. It was, for me, love at first sight, or should that be love at first taste? I have followed the domaine as closely as I can ever since, and while there are a number of domaines in Cheverny and Cour-Cheverny that I follow, in my opinion nobody does Romorantin – especially Romorantin with residual sugar – quite like François Cazin.
Over the past few years I have managed to catch up with François to taste his latest releases, and 2018 is no exception. As usual the portfolio of wines is quite limited (although to be fair François does also make several cuvées of Cheverny and sparkling wines which I don’t discuss here) so this report features only four wines. Quality, not quantity, I suppose.
The Wines
François poured two vintages of his entry-level dry Cour-Cheverny, both of which have been bottled. This was a return to the 2015 Cour-Cheverny for me, which I tasted last year when it was still in cuve. Bold and broad, as we might expect from the 2015 vintage, but with some nice vivacity, I suspect this will benefit from a few years in the cellar. I had a preference for the 2016 Cour-Cheverny though, as I was immediately drawn in by its expressive nose filled with autumn fruits, and its chalky minerality.
