Patrick Corbineau

This hard-to-find, oldest of old schools Loire Valley producer is a one-man show, and the last winemaker standing in his tiny village of Candes St. Martin—one of the most gorgeous villages in France, population: 226. It just so happens to be where the Loire and the Vienne Rivers meet. He works tirelessly with a horse in his 6ha of vines totally organically, manually harvesting and never spraying or fertilizing. The wines are outrageously Loire and pure, with aromatic elements on the nose reminiscent of the sweet-smelling blue and green rinds of chèvre—fresh, slightly-aged goat cheese. It’s like you’re entering the Loire cellar, and there’s silky unmanipulated Cab Franc up for grabs. The sense of place is outrageous. They’re ageworthy as you’d expect from the Loire reds, and you come to them for silk, purity, and intriguing cool herbal aromas that in sum render them among the most regal and authentic Cab Francs out there.