FrancCardinalCôtesdeBordeaux2018

<p>The newly-formed Côtes de Bordeaux appellation – a hilly strip of land just across the river from Graves dubbed the “Saint-Emilion satellites”– is a region brimming with potential. At its eastern fringe lies Franc-Côtes de Bordeaux, whose sunny limestone-clay slopes are particularly suited to growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc.</p><p>Here Sophie Holzberg is realising her vision of making the most delicious and sustainable wines at Château Franc Cardinal, a property which she founded together with her husband before he tragically passed away in a road accident in 2010. Certified organic, the 10ha estate is farmed without pesticides or herbicides.</p><p>In contrast to the tiered cuvée model of many other estates, Sophie crafts just one wine from her three vineyard sites. A blend of Merlot (70%), Cabernet Franc (25%), and Malbec (5%) with minimal wood influence, it combines a wild berry character with fresh cigars, forest floor, and fine, silky tannins, and possesses the exact sort of freshness and elegance sought by drinkers tired of Bordeaux’s influx of high-alcohol, jammy wines.</p>