We’re hoping to get out there in a few months, and the one thing I’m kicking myself for is not actively seeking more Cab Franc. It’s easily my favorite red variety. There’s a lot of duds, but the good ones make up for it.
A few that I’m planning on looking for are
York Creek
Lang & Reed
Louis Martini Monte Rosso
Any suggestions on other stuff?
I bought the Ridge earlier this year when we were at the winery but haven’t tasted it. If I come across more I’ll buy one to see how heavily I need to invest in it.
I’m currently drinking a '93 LaJota Cab Franc…really tasty stuff. Wish they made them like this still. The '92-'94’s were great! Then they just steadily declined…too bad really. Pride used to make a great Cab franc, but I haven’t had one of those for years…
My buddies all give me sh!t for it, but I don’t care. It can be very tough to find though.
I’m a fan of Duckhorn’s Cab Franc. The single vineyard Patzimaro Franc they made from '08 was awesome. This year they went to a multi vineyard “napa” blend of Cab Franc. I have two bottes but haven’t popped them yet so I can’t comment. Hall also makes a pretty good Cab Franc
I’d love ot get some suggestions from others. I’ve been trying to run filtered reports off Cellar Tracker to get some other ideas on who makes a great Cab Franc but every time I try, the system times out and tells me to email eric about the problem. So no luck there.
I made a decision a few months ago to start pulling from across the pond but Napa is still outpacing by a wide margin. I shall search and purchase! Thanks Chris… Much appreciated.
Bevan wines with Russell Bevan
Russell’s second visit with CLONYC and I must say, this years assortment show much more cohesiveness as a group. His whole lineup is fantastic but his Cab Franc based wines are some of the best I have sampled yet. He certainly is able to coax some amazing aromatics from this grape. I also notice a slightly more containment of signs of oak in this years array overall.
2009 Bevan Cellars Prop. Red, Sugarloaf Mountain, NV, The Whitney- here we go! This 50/50 blend Cab Franc/Merlot is simply put: downright amazing. Black fruited and creamy textured with attractive notes of chocolate. This wines rises from the glass and attacks all the senses. On paper, I might have doubted such a blend but in reality this just……rocks. wow.
2010 Bevan Cellars Prop. Red, Sugarloaf Mountain, NV, The Oscar- same blend, year later. Sweeter black and blue fruit profile with the same chocolate notes running right through the middle. Slightly less fragrant, this is an elegant and pure wine that keeps in line for what was being aimed at: joy. As this sat and we got into dinner, it really shined. I loved how it became playful with my steaks mustard sauce accompaniment. I would love to see where this one goes in a year
2009 Bevan Cellars Red Wine Showket Vineyard, Oakville, The Curmudgeon- How can you not love a wine named for yourself? This is a 67/33 blend of Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon. Nose of pure black and blue fruits. This is a cornucopia of all things gone right: cassis, black cherry and framboise with hints of sweet cardamom. Mouth feel is full and tannins complicated. In keeping with a theme, I get a certain elegance, but this time it brought its iron glove. Loved it.
2010 Bevan Cellars Red Wine Showket Vineyard, Oakville, EE Cuvée- With all I just said above, I found this one lacking slightly behind. It’s a serious wine that came across slightly typical. You are as good as the company you keep and this one suffered slightly by some rock stars that came before it. Big boned and super structured. Would love to have it alone in about 2-3 years. (50/50 CF/CS)
I’m right there with you, Joel. My cellar is 93.36% California but I’ve been slowly branching out and thankful that I have discovered the Loire Valley for terrific values of Cab Franc and Chenin Blanc.
Absolutely, and very top end Loire CF typically costs less than entry or mid-tier north coast CF. The only word of caution is that Loire CF tends to be mid-weight, angular and more feral. Fans of full bodied, silky and softly fruity CF may not find a lot of overlap. Loire is closer to Burgundy stylistically, while Napa-noma CF runs more along the lines of new world Cab S with less prominent structure.