Bel Air (Gauthier) Bourgueil "Jour de Soif" 2022

90+ points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2022 Bourgueil 'Jour de Soif' from the Gauthier family is a fine bottle. The bouquet is deep, pure and beautifully sappy, wafting from the glass in a mix of black cherries, cassis, dark soil tones, cigar wrapper, tree bark and a nice touch of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and beautifully balanced, with a good core of fruit, moderate tannin and fine length and grip on the complex finish. Good juice that is made to drink young and is certainly nicely approachable already, but which will be even better with a couple of years’ worth of bottle age. 2023-2040. (Jul/Aug 2023)"

Importer notes: "The Gauthiers make a fresher, early drinking wine every year that is meant to be drunk during the first year of release. Always delicious, it has all of the wonderful things we look for in young Cabernet Franc; dark fruit, soft tannins, refreshing finish, good mineral component. This is great quaffing wine."