Franc Cardinal Côtes de Bordeaux 2018

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.

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.

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.