WTN: 2002 Breton 'Clos Senechal' Cab Franc

[Jenise]

I thought I'd read a positive note on this recently, so it was my first choice to accompany the 95 Olga Ruffault Picasses to the Loire tasting in Van last Tuesday night. I opened it in the morning and realized it needed serious decanting, so took that step. A midday check seemed to show a little more fruit as hoped, so I confidently left it thinking the final few hours would bring it around. Must have been a mirage because no, later it was virtually unchanged since morning. I took something else and recorked the bottle.

Last night I checked it just before dinner, and it had softened up quite a bit. Enough at least to go with some turkey schnitzels I was going to serve with a morel cream sauce. And in fact, making the decision to serve the cab franc I added quite a bit of fresh chopped parsley and oregano to the sauce to suppress the green notes in the wine and punch up the fruit. I wasn't wrong, and it was fine to drink as long as we had food between sips. But without food, the wine seemed dried out and too tart for pleasure.

Have I held these too long?

without food, the wine seemed dried out and too tart for pleasure.

Have I held these too long?

In principal it hasn't been too long.

It's been over a year but my bottles of this were far from dried out and tart, in fact they were ripe round and bretty.

But maybe someone else has recent experience?

[Jenise]

without food, the wine seemed dried out and too tart for pleasure.

Have I held these too long?

In principal it hasn't been too long.

It's been over a year but my bottles of this were far from dried out and tart, in fact they were ripe round and bretty.

But maybe someone else has recent experience?

I was pretty sure the TN I read that made me so positive about this choice was yours. I remember commenting on how it was an unusually high level of extraction to win you over. I also have the Galichets, same year. Any recent experience with those?

I also have the Galichets, same year. Any recent experience with those?

I don't. But there are some other Breton drinkers around here, hopefully some with chime in.

I don't think that I have any Breton in my cellar but the few 2002 Loire reds I have tried have been quite hard so I have tended to hold off. Perhaps I should take another look.

[Jenise]

I don't think that I have any Breton in my cellar but the few 2002 Loire reds I have tried have been quite hard so I have tended to hold off. Perhaps I should take another look.

I don't know! Rahsaan's was great a year ago, and two I've had this week were "hard". That small amount of evidence suggests waiting.

Rahsaan's was great a year ago..

Just for the record, I think you might have me confused with someone else. I do remember seeing some positive notes on this wine, but the ones I had were too bretty for my tastes, which has also been a complaint from a few other people. Seems to be some bottle variation.

[Jenise]

Rahsaan's was great a year ago..

Just for the record, I think you might have me confused with someone else. I do remember seeing some positive notes on this wine, but the ones I had were too bretty for my tastes, which has also been a complaint from a few other people. Seems to be some bottle variation.

Got it, sorry. I shall consider myself fortunate then--where my bottle wasn't very good at this point, it wasn't bretty.

I've only got a few '02 Loire reds, but general impression is they are not currently in best place. I have a couple that I don't think were really meant to age (O Raffault La Poplinière, a Yannick Amirault St Nic) that I should open soon, but others I'll let rest. Thanks for notes.