This week on Poppin’ Bottles, Brandon takes us back to where it all started for him: a glass of Cab Franc from Chinon in France’s Loire Valley. That was the wine that made him realize there’s more to wine than just “red wine that tastes good.”
We’re tasting a beautiful bottle from Angelique Leon, a one-woman operation making clean, organic, low-intervention wines in the Loire, and then bringing it back home to Washington with a 100% Cab Franc from Entiat wine out of Lake Chelan.
Same grape, totally different expressions. The French bottle is bright, silky, and herbaceous. The Washington bottle brings more weight, dried fruit, and a long savory finish. We talk about why Cab Franc deserves way more attention than it gets, how to retrain your brain when tasting across styles, and why putting two bottles of the same varietal side by side is one of the best things you can do for your palate.
Both wines are available on the shelf at The Fox + Bottle in downtown Edmonds. Come grab them and try the comparison yourself.
🕐 Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro 0:30 – The wine that got Brandon into wine
2:30 – Tasting Angelique Leon’s Loire Valley Cab Franc
3:24 – Drops of God shoutout (watch it!)
4:30 – Old world winemaking and low intervention
5:56 – Why French wine can feel different at first
6:27 – Retrain your brain: appreciate what’s in the glass
7:48 – Cab Franc as a blending grape vs. on its own
9:16 – Segment 2: Entiat Wine Cab Franc from Lake Chelan 12:30 – Tasting the Washington Cab Franc
14:40 – Why you should taste these side by side at home 17:00 – Food pairings: charcuterie to steak night
18:35 – Where to find these bottles
20:00 – Spring apparel at the shop
21:00 – Next episode teaser: Rosé season is here
🍷 Wines Featured:
* Angelique Leon’s Chinon Cab Franc (Loire Valley, France)
* Entiat 2022 Cabernet Franc (Lake Chelan, WA)
📍 Visit us: The Fox + Bottle, 112 5th Ave S, Edmonds, WA
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts & Spotify
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