2016 Herri Mina Irouléguy- France, Southwest France, Pays Basque, Irouléguy (11/15/2019)
Quick backstory, I have encouraged Kathleen (my better half) to pursue her own vinous journey as opposed to just doubling down on producers or regions that I have already be cruising through. She has embraced this fully, and one her go to sources of finding interesting stuff is by following the ShibaSommilier on Instagram. While being hilarious, this was a great find. Made by former Petrus winemaker Jean-Claude Berrouet, this started off with a nice floral polish, good cab franc aromatics (I think this is 100% CF) that translated well to the palate. While the green pepper element was subtle, a slight smoky quality had me thinking of a roasted poblano (which I often do when CF is in the cepage), inviting black cherry, and a good dose of earth to keep things real. The surprising thing was how deceptive the structure was, it came out rather easy going from a pop and pour, but quickly firmed up suggesting maybe 5 years or more might be of benefit. Unique wine I would have never gotten too without the help of the Shiba Somm!
These are nice, well made wines and a bit of an outlier in Irouléguy since the red is based solely on Cabernet Franc and not Tannat. It does pretty well as a Loire ringer and ages well. The white is good but not my favorite from the appellation.
If you’re curious about more wines from the area, there are a few Irouléguy domaines that are imported to the U.S. These include Domaine Arretxea, which is excellent across the board; Domaine Ilarria, which shines with its rose and its haut-de-gamme red wine Cuvée Bixintxo; and Domaine Brana, which makes nice reds and outstanding, high-acid whites.
Sadly, my favorite domaine has seemingly disappeared from the Earth. Domaine Etxegaraya made the Irouléguy’s finest wine, the red Cuvée Lehengoa, which was made mostly from Tannat vines that are over 120 years old.
I was surprised to learn that the red was 100% CF, thinking that some or mostly Tannat would be in the mix. Good TN and in line with the Irouléguy characteristics that I’ve experienced.
These wines are lots of fun, especially in the winter months, paired with heavy winter fare. I encourage you to bring a bunch of different Irouléguy wines together for a big dinner. A group of us did that many years ago, my notes from which are here: The great NYC Irouléguy Offline - CellarTracker
I had this again last night, this is one sexy cab franc. The roasted poblano pepper played beautifully off an earthy strawberry core - structure in spades. All the boxes. Alfert take note.
Timely return to this thread - Robert Panzer recently learned that Brana is now partnering with Etxegaraya and together they are reviving the Cuvee Lehengoa, now renamed Liberium and made from 100% franc-de-pied Tannat - a unique parcel of very old vines owned by Etxegaraya. Robert’s importing these wines, and I’m pumped!
2016 Herri Mina Irouléguy - France, Southwest France, Pays Basque, Irouléguy (2/20/2023)
A last second cork pull due to the 01 Beaucastel being shot to hell, this was just the tonic to sooth the sting of the flawed bottle that I had high hopes for. I don’t often think of cab franc as a comfort wine, but it certainly came across that way last night with the tell tale notes of tobacco and bell pepper merging with some lovely dark and spicy plums. Lovely mouth feel and very food friendly. I have one more left and it will be fun to see if it can age out a spell. (91 points)