2023 Calvez Bobinet Hanami
In stock
Grape Varietal: Cabernet Franc
Country: France
Region: Saumur, Loire Valley
The Wine: Calvez-Bobinet is the Saumur estate of Sébastien Bobinet — seventh-generation vigneron — and Émeline Calvez, a former professional dancer turned sommelière and winemaker, who joined him in 2011. They farm their tuffeau limestone parcels organically with no chemical inputs, and Émeline oversees a cellar philosophy built around minimal intervention and varietal transparency.
Hanami — named for the Japanese tradition of gathering beneath cherry blossoms — is their vin de soif, blended from multiple Cabernet Franc parcels and vinified using a mix of whole-cluster and destemmed carbonic maceration, then aged in concrete to preserve freshness and fluidity. Bottled as Vin de France, 12% ABV.
Hanami 2023 is a light, luminous, and floral expression of Saumur Cabernet Franc at its most immediate. It opens with aromas of fresh cherry, wild strawberry, and peony, lifted by a fine herbal thread of stem and cool earth. On the palate, it is supple and juicy with lively acidity, soft fine tannins, and a clean finish of red berry skin and a whisper of graphite.
Pairing: Rillettes de Tours on a thick slice of country bread, a plate of lentils with Dijon vinaigrette and a soft-boiled egg, spring radishes with good butter and flaky salt, or a long afternoon outside with a chilled bottle and whatever comes off the grill.
