New from Bourgueil Domaine du Rochouard Cuvée Coteau "violet robe and expressive nose of red and black fruits"

  Bourgueil in the glass in Paris

This wine is new and it is great, but before I say more, I am going to start off with some pronunciation tips because a wine that is hard to pronounce tends to get overlooked and there is no way you should miss this wine just because you don't want to say its name:

Here goes. Concentrate. Boor'goy. The trick is to give it a Yiddish twist at the end-as in the oi of oi vey. Step on the G hard. Boor-ghoi. Perfect!

Now here's the story. Bob and I were in the Loire not too long ago to look for a new Bourgueil. Bourgueil is part of the Touraine. It's north of the Loire River, west of Tours. The climate is mild and you will run into the odd palm tree. I like to hunt for new wines. It's a good way to stay on top of a region and who's out there.

I did some advance work and happened to see the Domaine Rochouard had received a 5-star (perfect) rating from Decanter magazine for one of their wines. Getting 5-stars is rare and a big deal so I dashed out an email and fixed a rendezvous.

Read what the Guide Hachette has to say about the wine of Dominique Duveau, the proprietor of Domaine du Rochouard:

"One appreciates the almost violet robe of the wine, its nose expressive of red and black fruits, embellished with some licorice, but above all, the abundant material coming from a ripe harvest. The tannins put their two cents in, but not too strongly and the final taste returns to that licorice." -Guide Hachette

It's always a relief to show up at a new vineyard and see an impeccable operation. You could eat off the floor of Duveau's tasting room and that usually says something about the wine.

The Domaine was started in 1969 and it passed to the two sons in 2007. Cuvée Coteau comes from a small two-hectare plot of limestone, clay, and sandy soil. The grapes are macerated in the tank for about three weeks. Dominique does not age Coteau in wood.

Cuvée Coteau is a full-bodied, rich wine with notes of dark currants and that uniquely expressive nose that only comes from a wine that's 100% Cabernet Franc. I tasted ripe, roasted cherries. Bourgueil! You will want this in your glass.