The East Block 2013 sold out on the first day, apparently.
Just curious but what was the price point ?
$525 for a three pack, plus shipping.
We had a chance to meet up with Tom at the Detert property to kick off our trip before heading over the hill to Santa Rosa. It was great to meet Tom and hear the story of their family and the rich history of the vineyard and their stewardship.
Tom poured the 05 and 09 Franc and the 04 and 10 Cab from Coravin. It was great to try to vintages back to back and compare. There was a bit more savory element to the 05 Franc compared to the upfront fruit of 09. They both are in a great spot as the 05 is starting to show some secondary characteristics and the 09 is balanced but still showing plenty of fruit. I gave the nod to the 05 but my wife liked the 09 a bit more.
We reversed on the cabs as I gave the nod to the 10 and my wife the 04. Similar to the Franc these both showed very well with the 10 starting to round into form and the 04 showing some secondary nuances. The 13 is sold out but they do have these library vintages available. For me these wines have a classic sense to them and are meant for the dinner table. Iām looking forward to trying them back home with a bit of decant time for the younger vintages and some food on the table. If you havenāt had a chance to visit Detert and you appreciate wines that veer to a more classic style then reach out to Tom on your next trip or give a library wine a whirl.
cheers
Fred
Great write-up, Fred. We had a similar terrific visit this summer, and I was really impressed by both the current releases and the library wines. It is great to have the opportunity to buy older vintages like that.
Rather than start a new thread regarding Detert, thought I would just revive this one, since it has some good information. I signed up for this list - just last year, I think - and got āsave the dateā for the offering on March 2. Anyone drinking this lately? I donāt even know what my offer is going to be - but price points all >$100 - correct?
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The 16 and 17 cab sold for $95 a bottle. The last time I bought the regular CF was the 15 and that was $95. I personally find these wines need more years to open up compared to others.
I gotta admit, you lost me on this one. When I think Cab Franc, I have never once thought about La Mish, a Bordeaux that I happen to like very much. It only has 10% CF in the cepage, but I guess yea, one can extrapolate some similarities given the profile of this wine. I would have been more receptive had you said Les Carmes Haut Brion, Cheval Blance or old Figeac. But seriously, when I want Cab France, it is Loire, and Loire only, that truly scratches that itch. And when that is your itch, you are in luck, Loire CF is extremely well priced for the most part. The only one that has hit the pricing of universal greats, is Rougeard. And it is also worth the price. I will happily pay $150 for the les Clos and more fro Poyeaux before I would ever buy a single Napa or Bordeaux for the purpose of that Cab Franc experience. I really have never had a California Cab Franc that wowed me.
I would encourage anyone that likes Cab Franc to buy Domaine Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses. This is the archetype of Loire Cab Franc. Itās benchmark. And around $30.
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I wrote this so long ago that I have no idea what I was saying. Could have been brain dead and meant to say Cheval Blanc, not Mission Haut Brion, but who knows.
Anyone recall cost for the CF and CS last year in the upcoming release? I know the fall 20 was ~$175/ ea, vaguely remember the spring release being the less expensive release from them. Have never bought but tempted this go around.
$95 for CF and for CS
The $175 youāre thinking about is the East Block CF.
Perfect, thank you!
Very late to arrive, but signed up last week and promptly received a welcoming e mail from Tom. Eager to try and grateful to this community (once again) for enlightening me about them. I have learned quite a bit hereāthank you!
Robert, I think they are apples and oranges. Or maybe apples and fudge brownies.
Hereās Galloni on the 2014 Detert Cab Franc:
āThe Franc is not especially varietal in personality - especially compared to modern versions - instead it is the voice of the site that seems to come through above all else. An exotic mĆ©lange of dark cherry, mocha, plum and espresso notes all flesh out in the glass.ā
And then even more so on the 2016 East Block bottling:
ā100% Cabernet Franc, is dark, deep and unctuous. CrĆØme de cassis, chocolate, menthol, blackberry jam, espresso, new French oak and grilled herbs are all amped up. The 2016 is an attractive wine, especially if taken on its own terms, but the super-concentrated, oaky style dominates over varietal character.ā
Regardless of how AG scores influence your decisions, Iām not sure that anyone who is looking for old world cab franc sensibilities would actively seek out wines of that description. Basically any of the bolded terms in a cab franc description would send me away.
Yeah, this is just the CF and CSāwhich are the west and south block (not old vines). The old vines that are similar in age and dry farmed to Macdonald is the East Block CFāwhich is released around August. Still great terroir, right where the To Kalon valley meets the mountains.
Loved that saying!
And I concur. Many many years ago I basically gave up trying to find New World Cabernet Franc that interested me. Really the only one that I recall enjoying, and buying again, was the South African Cabernet Franc made by Raats. And not their āpremiumā bottle that gets oaked, but their most basic bottling.
I can only find Olga Raffault Chinon Barnabes around. These any good? Sounds like these are more for drinking young?
Great comparisons for sure. In this case, it really boils down to what your ābenchmarkā is for Cab Franc. If it is the rustic, earthy green elements that the variety is known for in Chinon, then Robert is spot on. But thatās not necessarily what many think of with this variety domestically. Itās a real challenge with discussing this variety with others, for to me, if there are no elements of pyrazines, even as undertones, it does not āspeak ofā the variety to me.
Domestically, there are a few local ones down here that āspeak ofā a nod to Chinon - Lieu Dit does the job, as does Roark Winery. Lieu Dit is a project of Justin Willet from Tyler, and in comparison tastings, this really does a nice job of āfooling folksā by being considered not from here.
Cheers
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Interesting, Detert gets recommended fairly regularly on this board as one of the top Cab Franc options in Napa, if not CA. Galloniās notes make it pretty clear that itās not really a varietal wine, but a wine particular to the house style. Thatās fine, but it probably shouldnāt be recommended as a benchmark representative of the variety. Cab Franc is a canvas, basically, for the winery to express itself.
While I do tend to prefer Loire Cab Francs (Baudry and Joguet have a good bit of cellar space), Iām generally open to trying Cab Franc from most regions where they arenāt too expensive. Napa is out for the latter reason. But based on whatās in my cellar now, CF is overwhelmingly Loire and Iām more focused on other varieties on the West Coast. For my taste Syrah vintners seem to be more consistently hitting a compelling old/new world hybridization on the West Coast, in particular, blending complexity, structure and finesse.
Iām ready for next week! 2018 cs and cf release.