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The Franc 2023 is Domaine Chiroulet’s exclusive cuvée — a 100% Cabernet Franc classified as a Vin de France, a direct and honest expression of the grape variety grown on the white, calcareous clays of the Ténarèze region.
The color is ruby with purplish highlights. The nose is expressive with fresh red fruit—blackcurrant, raspberry—along with spicy notes and a herbaceous touch characteristic of Cabernet Franc. The palate is straightforward and direct, with fine, supple tannins and a fresh, mineral finish. Serve at 15–16 °C.
100% organic Cabernet Franc, white clay and limestone soils of Ténarèze, Larroque-sur-l'Osse, a vineyard swept by the “chiroula.” Subtle oak aging, traditional winemaking.
Best enjoyed within 4–5 years.
Le Franc is the most distinctive wine in Domaine Chiroulet’s red wine lineup — a bold venture into a single-varietal Cabernet Franc, marketed as a Vin de France to avoid the blending requirements of the Côtes de Gascogne IGP. Its name says it all: the grape’s authenticity, the direct expression of the terroir, without artifice or compromise.
Domaine Chiroulet takes its name from the “chiroula” — the Gascon term for “wind” — that dry, invigorating wind that has swept across the hillsides of Larroque-sur-l’Osse in the Gers since 1970, naturally protecting the vines and allowing for the harvest of ripe, healthy grapes. Since 1993, Philippe Fezas—an agricultural engineer and trained oenologist—has been managing this 40-hectare vineyard, which is in the process of converting to organic farming, on the limestone highlands of the Ténarèze, in the heart of the Armagnac region, facing the Pyrenees. Five generations of the same family have carried on a winemaking tradition that is rare in Gascony—a region better known for its white wines than for its reds.
Here, Cabernet Franc grown on the white, limestone-rich clays of the Ténarèze produces a wine of great freshness and precision—a far cry from the warm, heavy reds sometimes associated with the Southwest. Traditional winemaking with subtle oak aging, so as never to mask the fruit’s honesty and purity.
The 2023 vintage reveals fresh red fruits, sweet spices, and a hint of herbaceous notes, with a straightforward and honest palate, fine tannins, and a fresh, mineral finish.
Serve at 15–16 °C, after a brief decanting. Food pairings: duck breast, roasted poultry, hard cheeses. Aging potential: 4–5 years.
Data sheet
The cuvée Grande Réserve du domaine de Chiroulet is a virtuoso expression of the precious essence of the estate's old vines, planted on its finest clays. This cuvée develops notes of black fruit, wood, white tobacco and sweet spices. Great length.
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The Franc 2023 is Domaine Chiroulet’s exclusive cuvée — a 100% Cabernet Franc classified as a Vin de France, a direct and honest expression of the grape variety grown on the white, calcareous clays of the Ténarèze region.
The color is ruby with purplish highlights. The nose is expressive with fresh red fruit—blackcurrant, raspberry—along with spicy notes and a herbaceous touch characteristic of Cabernet Franc. The palate is straightforward and direct, with fine, supple tannins and a fresh, mineral finish. Serve at 15–16 °C.
100% organic Cabernet Franc, white clay and limestone soils of Ténarèze, Larroque-sur-l'Osse, a vineyard swept by the “chiroula.” Subtle oak aging, traditional winemaking.
Best enjoyed within 4–5 years.