Make sure to try this wine

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Tuffeaux, Damien Lorieux, 2018

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3,5 NJP of 5,0 NJP

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Tuffeaux, Damien Lorieux, 2018 (16 EUR/19 USD in Sweden) red dry wine, Bourgueil, Touraine, Loire Valley, France, 3,5 NJP of 5,0 NJP (85 points of 100 points) (2021-05-09 by Nenad Jelisic)

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Wow, what the Cabernet Franc wine from the Bourgueil appellation that is located in the Loire wine region. It happens very rarely that one tries such a really good wine that is made from 100% Cabernet Franc from the Loire wine region (Loire Valley) as this wine. A wine that has a rich, concentrated and fruity aroma, and rich, concentrated, fruity and austere flavour. The aroma is characterized by sweet spices, Crème de Cassis, blueberries, cranberries, licorice, raspberries, dried plums and herbs. The flavour is characterized by raspberries, Crème de Cassis, sweet spices, licorice, blueberries, cranberries and herbs. What is particularly impressive about Tuffeaux Damien Lorieux 2018 is that according to the Swedish importer of it, it has never been aged in oak barrels, only in stainless steel tanks. This was also confirmed by the winery's owner/winemaker Damien Lorieux when I (NJ Wines) contacted him. I still do not get it together how the winery managed to get aromas and flavours that are only obtained when some wine is in contact with oak barrels, such as cedar, which Systembolaget (a government owned chain of all liquor stores in Sweden) writes about on its website when it describes the wine's aroma and flavour. When I tasted the first bottle of the wine, I felt a clear aroma and flavour of cocoa-rich dark chocolate that I could not find when I tried the second and third bottle. In addition, I experienced the wine in the first bottle as more concentrated, flavourful and tannin-rich than in the second and third bottles. This is a mystery to me. Regardless of which bottle we are talking about, whether the first one that got 4,0 NJP or the second one that got 3,5 NJP or the third one that got 3,5 NJP, Tuffeaux Damien Lorieux 2018 is a really good wine. I hope that you get some of the bottles that got 4,0 NJP because they are something extra when Cabernet Franc-wines are in question.

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The wine, as this one, with such aroma and flavour richness will fit really well with Pasta Carbonara, made from fresh pasta, or with Lasagne, made from fresh lasagne plates, or with Pizza Capricciosa or with freshly baked baguettes divided in halves that are brushed with virgin olive oil and on which finely chopped garlic, finely chopped grilled peppers and lots of Emmentaler cheese and air-dried ham (Jamon Iberico, Jamon Serrano, Prosciutto Crudo eller Prosciutto di Parma) are placed on or with (Swedish) meatballs with cream sauce and buttery mashed potatoes, without any berry jam. It should be served at 18 to 19°C in Bordeaux glass, if possible, from Orrefors, Kosta Boda, Spiegelau or Riedel. Another option is to serve it at 16°C (when room temperature is above 20°C or outdoor temperature is above 23°C) and then enjoy it as it begins to open/grow in the glass. Tuffeaux Damien Lorieux 2018 has a really good aging potential, at least 5 years i.e., until at least 2026.

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The grapes for the wine come from more than 20 years old vines. The soil on which the vines grow consists of clay and marl (a clayey soil that contains a lot of lime). The grapes for the wine are harvested by machine. After very careful destemming and pressing, the grape mass, which consists of pulp, grape skins, seeds and grape juice, is fermented/macerated in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature that never exceeds 22°C for 18 days. After the fermentation/maceration, self-run wine is poured into other stainless steel tanks. The remaining mass, which consists of pulp, grape skins and seeds, is carefully pressed to extract so-called press wine, which is then poured into another stainless steel tank. Then the wines in different tanks undergo malolactic fermentation i.e., fermentation that converts the sharp malic acid in the wine into softer lactic acid. Finally, the wines from the different tanks are blended and the blended wine is aged for 14 months to after that be bottled and aged for 10 more months. The wine undergoes a light filtration, but no clarification.