Olivier Cousin Olivier Cousin Anjou Pur Breton, France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Anjou

Excellent - elevated natural wine with some age. Had the tell tale signs of being a natural wine, the funk, the slight effervescence. Light for cab franc. The wine had moved onto secondary notes.

Olivier Cousin’s wines are a treasure. To me, his Cab Franc from Anjou is a total revelation. Spicy. Perfect with food. Playful. But able to be pondered on its own. Just amazing.

Decanted for 1.5 to 2 hours. Before that, it had an overpowering yeasty aroma. Very good. Complexity surprised me. Nose has ripe blackberries, cherry candy, flinty minerality, and decaying earth. Palate has more ripe blackberries and flint, balanced by lively acid and chewy tannins. The finish surprises, with spicy vegetal notes and a hint of malty sweetness.

Rustic, reductive. The nose is wide open, you can smell a glass by walking in the room. Brett-driven profile which can eclipse some of the palate — berries, stone, yogurt (would be surprised if much MLF occurred though). Slight VA? Expected the bottom of the bottle to pour out like a bog, but it’s quite clean. Great value at ~$25 USD. Drink now or hold.

An absolute favorite. So delicious. Bright fruit, herbaceous, juicy, spicy, and THE BEST with food.