Etienne Bodet's Clos Durandière Saumur Rouge is one of those rare wines with a magic touch that creates the lightbulb moment for Cabernet Franc naysayers.

Ethereal, refined and polished. Former Clos Rougeard winemaker Etienne Bodet's deft touch is the kind of winemaking that causes collectors around the world to perk up.

According to Bodet himself: "I age my wines for a minimum of two years in barrels new to three wines, then 6 months in vats and 6 months in bottles before selling. The temperature and humidity of the cellars are fundamental criteria in order to polish the tannins as much as possible. The objective is to obtain a refined, spiritual wine that is as moving as possible." We're inclined to think that he met that objective.

A little bonus for the soil geeks out there:

100% Cabernet Franc from a 1.3 ha plot planted in 1983 on hard Bathonian limestone from the Jurassic period (circa 168 million years ago). There are only 20 known hectares planted to soil like this in Saumur. The shallow topsoil is a sandy loam with notable iron oxide.