Domaine de l'Arjolle Côtes de Thongue Fumé Rouge 2019

After the successful introduction of the popular Fumé Blanc, our favorite Languedoc domain Arjolle is now also making a red variant. The Fumé Rouge, like its white brother, is inspired by the famous Loire winemaker Joël André. He convinced Louis Marie Teisserenc in the 1980s to also plant cabernet franc, the red grape from famous Loire regions such as Bourgeuil and Chinon.

At the time, this happened on the almost two hectares of Les Granges and Les Bourdic plots, both with a strongly calcareous, relatively cool soil. A good choice, because this terroir is ideal for making refined red wines from the Cabernet Franc grape. Arjolle allows the grapes to ripen slowly and does not harvest until the beginning of October. This ensures elegance, maturity and a beautiful fruit expression in the final wine.

Immediately after harvesting, cold maceration and fermentation takes place in concrete tanks. The end result is an intensely fruity, mild Cabernet Franc, which, thanks to the warm climate, is more accessible than many red Loire. A successful experiment!