2024 Domaine Cousin-Leduc Pur Breton

Olivier Cousin farms his family vines in Martigné-Briand in Anjou, working biodynamically and ploughing by draft horse since the eighties. Pur Breton is his emblematic cuvée, one hundred percent Cabernet Franc from younger vines planted in the late nineties, destemmed and vinified in steel with nothing added in the cellar. The name is his quiet protest, Breton being the local name for Cabernet Franc, a grape the Anjou appellation would not let him name plainly. The 2024 is fresh and savory, with red cherry, pepper and a leafy edge, and it is wonderful slightly chilled with roast chicken or charcuterie.