It feels like only yesterday that Dominique Joseph’s exquisite “Les Clos Lyzières” came into our lives. Yet, in what seems like record time, it has become a Loire Valley benchmark. Let’s put it as plainly as possible: This wine has no peer at this price. It’s the ultimate “insider” wine, sourced from a vineyard that sits right next door to Clos Rougeard’s “Les Poyeux,” whose bottles now run up past $400. So, for a tenth of that price, you get the same terroir, the same complex aromas and flavors, the same showstopping purity from Joseph’s Le Petit Saint Vincent. Starting with meticulous organic farming and showing an extremely deft touch in the cellar, Joseph is just a masterful vigneron, plain and simple, producing one of the few Loire Cabernet Francs that can stand toe-to-toe with the legendary Clos Rougeard. As we’ve said before, “Les Clos Lyzières” is a true game-changer. If you’ve missed it before, don’t let it happen again!
From the crisp, intensely mineral Muscadets in the Pays Nantais, through the Cab Francs and Chenin Blancs of Anjou-Saumur and Touraine, to the easterly appellations crafting Sauvignon Blanc, the Loire Valley is home to incredible history (reaching back to Charlemagne); wildly diverse wines; and superb values across the board. One of the appellations of note here is Saumur-Champigny—ground zero for some of the world’s most classic expressions of Cabernet Franc, thanks to the dominant presence of tuffeau in the soils. While there are other factors in play, there’s wide agreement that this soft-textured, yellowish limestone lends Saumur-Champigny reds their exceptional brightness and perfumed aromatics. Overall, these wines tend to be archetypal expressions of intricate Cabernet Franc with emphasis on dark fruits and high-toned floral aromatics.
Fourth-generation owner and winemaker Dominique Joseph, known around town as “Pélo,” was an early convert to organic farming and has held an official certification for many years. He has run the family operation since 1990 and works out of a stunning, multi-chambered cellar carved directly from the local tuffeau. Pélo’s parcel in “Les Clos Lyzières” soaks up the sun in its southeast-facing position and today’s wine is a choice selection from 55-year-old Cabernet Franc vines. In the winery—only minutes away—grapes are 100% de-stemmed and undergo a lengthy four-week maceration (it makes sense once you see the deep concentration and color of the wine). During this time, he keeps the wine moving via punch-downs and pump-overs to achieve maximum integration. Unlike his “Les Poyeux,” which rests in oak, this bottling was aged entirely in concrete.
In the glass, the ’19 “Clos Lyzières” reveals a brilliant dark ruby moving out to a star-bright magenta rim. To best unlock its youthful, flavor-loaded core, decant it for 30-60 minutes and enjoy in large Burgundy stems. As always, this wine is fully equipped with explosive florals and dense, brambly fruit. The nose reveals a breathtakingly beautiful mosaic that is painted with ripe currants, black raspberry, huckleberry, black plums, tobacco leaf, bell pepper, licorice, leather, violets, lavender, cracked pepper, crushed gravel, and damp underbrush. The gorgeous, silky palate reveals intense mouthwatering acidity and grippy, fine-grained tannins that create a wonderful push-pull tension between fruit and earth. No oak aging? No problem—this will effortlessly mature in your cellar over the next decade. Wine doesn’t get more classic than this and Cabernet Franc rarely gets purer, so be sure to stock up on this new release. Enjoy!
