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The 2007 La Mine offers a bright nose of spice and muted fruit. The varietal, cabernet franc, shows itself with a touch of graphite on the nose blended with influences from oak. The middle is soft and smooth with loads of spice box flavors that persist from front to back. The finish is long with refreshing berry and varietal character. Enjoy with lean red meat, pork, or roasted chicken. Not too heavy, but plenty of spice makes this wine useful with many dishes. Enjoy now through 2012.
Domaine Yannick Amirault (Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil)
 charming domaine, situated in the northern Loire, straddles the satellite appellations of Saint-Nicolas de Bourgueil and Bourgueil. Kind and thoughtful, Yannick Amirault, has come a long way since taking over his grandfather’s 3.5 hectares, which has grown today to include 19 hectares, and seeing his estate become the quality benchmark in the Loire for single varietal Cabernet Franc. Including “La Mine” and “Les Malgagnes,” this small winery produces a total of seven different single-vineyard wines. The vines here are notably old for the region, averaging 40 years, with some reaching over 70 years. The geological composition across the vineyards is varied including sandy soils, as well as clays and limestone, thereby helping to lend distinctiveness to each of the wines. The estate’s wines are reputed for their amazing ripe and suave tannins, which can be attributed to a rigorous policy of picking at optimal ripeness. In this regard, Yannick Amirault is fond of saying, “I prefer to pick ripe grapes in the rain, than green unripe grapes under the sun.” Vinification for “Les Malgagnes” and “La Mine” is slightly different, with the former undergoing fermentation in oak barrels and the latter in stainless steel vats. Both wines are subsequently aged in oversized oak barrels for about 1 year, and are typically not filtered prior to bottling.
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