The second stop for the 12 Days of Cabernet Franc is the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Thomas Fogarty Winery has been a commercial venture since 1981. They have several of their own Estate vineyards, and also source some fruit from select, well regarded growers. What has struck me about the better, past wines I’ve had from this region, is that they have shared the specific commonality of having a noticeable purity of fruit about them. As simple as that may sound, there are certain wines where the fruit flavors glide through the palate in a manner that seems more natural and closer to their origin. When I popped the cork on the Thomas Fogarty Cabernet Franc, my hope was, that it would be of that ilk.

The 2004 Thomas Fogarty Gist Ranch Cabernet Franc has 3% Cabernet Sauvignon blended in. The fruit was sourced entirely from the Gist Ranch Estate Vineyard, which is located 14 ½ miles away from the Winery itself. The wine was aged in 25% New Russian Oak. A mere 95 cases of this offering were bottled and the suggested retail price is $48.

Red and black plum, violets and blueberry notes fill an extremely effusive nose. Throughout the palate obvious mountain fruit characteristics are evident. Along with the plum and raspberry fruit, clove and black pepper notes emerge, and resonate through the finish. Abundant cherry, earth and a hint of licorice also surface in the lengthy and impressively long finish. I had this with a grilled steak and roasted potatoes, it was a terrific match.

There are two things that stood out to me most about this Cabernet Franc. First of all, it is one of those Santa Cruz Mountain Wines that displays an incredible core of pure, delicious fruit. Additionally, this is a serious Cab Franc, that while delicious now, will improve for 4-6 years and drink well for a couple after that. As stated above, only 95 cases of this wine were produced, if you’re a hardcore Franc fan, go grab some!

Up Next: 11 More Days of Cabernet Franc!

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Where to start the 12 Days of Cabernet Franc, was a question I debated. After tasting over 50 Cabernet Francs during the last few weeks, and identifying the ones I want to recommend, what would the method to my madness be? Essentially, I’ll present 1 or 2 a day over the next 12 days. As for the first one, I decided on a selection from Paso Robles. I taste wines from Paso as often as I can, and it seems as appropriate to start with one from there, as anywhere. The first wine is from Halter Ranch Vineyard. While the winery only dates back to 2000, the property, and one of the buildings on it, has a history going back to 1880. 245 of the Estate’s 900 acres are under vine with a total of 20 different varietals. 60% of those acres are planet to Bordeaux varietals with the remainder being made up of grapes predominate in the Rhone.

The 2005 Halter Ranch Vineyard Cabernet Franc has 10% Malbec blended in. The wine spent 18 months in French oak, with 40% of it being new. 300 cases of this bottling were produced and the suggested retail price is $28.

Smoke, black cherry and light cigar notes emerge on the nose of this Cabernet Franc. The palate is loaded with leather, blueberries, plum, clove and a touch of nutmeg. Blueberry pie crust notes emerge on the finish along with some bramble and a bit of earth. This wine has a firm tannic structure, which yields with time in the decanter, and/or the glass. This wine will be an excellent match for Braised Beef Short Ribs.

While I found this wine to be very drinkable now, especially after it got some air, it should improve over the next 5 years and drink well for a couple after that. It’s interesting to note that whole this wine has relatively high alcohol, at 15%; it doesn’t drink hot at all. This wine is an impressive, reasonably priced effort from Halter Ranch Vineyard. I’ll certainly keep my eye on their other wines going forward.

Up Next: The 12 Days of Cabernet Franc Continues.

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