We've never put to paper the traits that would be embodied in our ideal Cabernet Franc, but if we did, the wines of Thierry Germain would probably come closest to ticking all the boxes. His Saumur-Champigny Terres Chaudes, grown in the chalky tuffeau soils that give the best wines of the appellation, is a suave, lush wine in which the pyrazenes express themselves in a leafy, tobacco-y way and finishes with just a hint of fine, dusty tannins. The cool, relaxed 2021 vintage signature is front-and-center, and the wine shows remarkable concentration and poise at a mere 12.5% alcohol. Biodynamic.