Bobinet - 'Piak! Rouge' - Grolleau, Cabernet Franc - Loire Valley, FR -

Notes from the Winery/Importer

Made from Grolleau with a light touch, Piak! Rouge is all juicy red fruit and lively energy. Its beautiful garnet color leads to a generous, easygoing palate that feels like biting into a basket of freshly picked red berries.

Youthful, comforting, and seriously drinkable—pure pleasure in a glass.

Notes on the Producer

The domaine is situated outside Saumur, in the village of Beaulieu. Most of the vines are within walking distance of the cellar, on the slopes of Saumur (in the Hauts de Dampierre), some are a little further, between Dampierre and Souzay.

The terroir in Saumur is distinguished by the ubiquitous tuffeau, the soft, white limestone rock that was used to build the famous castles of the Loire Valley. The tuffeau’s distinctive characteristic is its ability to restore the water reserves to the vines’ roots, which are able to dig deep down due to the softness of the stone. As limestone has a basic PH, wines from vines anchored in this type of soil are characterised by a wonderful acidity.

But terroir isn’t only about soil. The topography, the climate and the cultural practices of the winemaker are also factors which form the identity of the terroir.
The landscape in Saumur is characterised by the Loire, the great and wild river overlooked by our plots on the slopes. The region is green and lush, many forests and groves having been preserved. Our vineyards aren’t lost in a sea of endless vines. As a result, the ecosystem is abundant and very diversified.

We have a temperate, mainly oceanic climate, sunny and not too rainy except in exceptional cases (2012 and 2013).

Grapes & Style

Grolleau

Grolleau is an old Loire red grape, most closely associated with Anjou and Touraine. For a long time it was treated more as a workhorse for pale, easy rosé than as a grape worth taking seriously, but that reputation has changed as more growers have started farming it carefully and bottling it on its own.

In the vineyard, Grolleau can be productive, so the better wines usually come from restrained yields and thoughtful handling. It tends to make naturally lighter-colored wines with fresh acidity and moderate alcohol, which makes it especially useful for the kind of Loire reds that feel bright, crunchy, and immediate rather than heavy.

In the glass, Grolleau often shows red cherry, raspberry, cranberry, black tea, pepper, and a little earthy or herbal edge. The best examples are light but not simple: juicy, savory, refreshing, and quietly distinctive.

Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Franc is an old Bordeaux and Loire red grape, and one of the parents of Cabernet Sauvignon. In Bordeaux it’s often part of a blend, bringing lift, perfume, and freshness; in the Loire, especially Chinon, Bourgueil, Saumur-Champigny, and Anjou, it stands on its own as one of the great medium-bodied red wines of France.

In the vineyard, Cabernet Franc ripens earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon, which helps it succeed in cooler regions. It still needs enough warmth to avoid hard green flavors, but when farmed well it can keep freshness while developing real aromatic complexity. It often works beautifully on limestone, gravel, and sandy soils, with style shifting depending on site.

In the glass, Cabernet Franc usually sits in a lovely middle zone: red and black fruit, fresh herbs, violet, graphite, pepper, and sometimes a subtle leafy edge. It can be light and crunchy or deeper and more structured, but it rarely needs heaviness to make its point. We like it for the way it combines freshness, savory detail, and quiet confidence.