Today marks one more stop in the east, during the 12 Days of Cabernet Franc. Heron Hill Winery is a Finger Lakes producer. While this region is often noted for its Rieslings, Cabernet Franc is one of the red varietals, which shine in this cooler climate region. Heron Hill Winery released their first vintage in 1977, and has grown into being a 20,000 case producer. They bottle approximately 20 different releases each year. Since their inception more than 30 years ago they’ve practiced sustainable methods in all aspects of the winery. I’ll look at two of their Cabernet Francs today.

First is the 2005 Heron Hill Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc. This wine was aged in oak for 12 months. Alcohol is a modest 12.5%. The suggested retail price for this wine is $14.99.

Strawberry, leather, and cedar notes are prominent in the nose of this wine. This Franc is medium bodied, with copious cranberry, and raspberry notes throughout the palate. Cigar box, earth, chicory, and sour berry notes merge on what is a medium length finish. This wine has approachable tannins and good acidity. I drank this along with a pizza topped with Fontina, and Gruyere cheese, as well as Shitake mushrooms. I found it to be a nice complement.

For $14.99 this wine isn’t going to break the bank. At that price point, it provides good Cabernet Franc character and enjoyable drinkability. This is a Franc doesn’t need to be paired with big foods, and unlike most, will match some lighter items.

The second Franc today is the Heron Hill Winery 2005 Ingle Vineyard Cabernet Franc. This wine is approximately 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, through a field blend. This wine also boasts modest 12.5% alcohol. The suggested retail price for this wine is $24.99.

Immediately upon opening I was taken by the darker, deeper color of this single vineyard Franc in comparison to the other one. It was a bit tight at first and about an hour in the decanter is recommended. Once it opened up, plums, black raspberry and cloves filled the nose. Throughout a rich, robust and mouth filling palate berry characteristics as well as continued spice notes, star. The finish is filled with emerging leather, earth and espresso notes, along with a touch of plum pudding spice. This wine has a firm tannic structure and good acidity. This Franc will pair will with hearty, full flavored foods.

While this wine is drinking well now, I expect it to improve over the next year or so and continue to drink nicely for 3-4 after that.

I was impressed with the distinctions between these Cabernet Francs from Heron Hill Winery. They each have unique characteristics that separate them. Yet both share a connective tissue, which speaks to their Finger Lakes origin as well as the consistency of Heron Hill’s winemaking style. I’ve yet to get up to the Finger Lakes region, but these wines have certainly nudged me in that direction.

Up Next: 2 More Days of Cabernet Franc!

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Mendocino is today’s stop for the 12 Days of Cabernet Franc. An ever increasing number of quality releases are coming out of this area. Today’s selections come from Yorkville Cellars. Their vineyards have been certified organic since 1986. Yorkville Cellars focus is on Bordeaux varietals. Their winemaker has been with them close to 15 years, and previously was at La Crema, among others. At Yorkville Cellars he makes two Cabernet Francs.

The first wine is a Rosé of Cabernet Franc. The 2007 Rosé de Franc is made from 100% Estate fruit and all varietal. Aging was done for 9 months, in neutral oak. The suggested retail price for this offering is $18.

This Rosé opens with a lovely nose featuring raspberry, rose petals and light hint of citrus peel. Berry and citrus notes continue through the palate. The finish is crisp, clean, spicy, and lingering, with just a subtle pleasing touch of tartness. This wine is dry and has excellent acidity.

Quality Rosé displays attributes of both red and white wines, This Rosé of Cabernet Franc certainly succeeds on that score. It’s aromatic, refreshing and well structured. While I drink Rosé year round, having this example from Yorkville Cellars has me pining for summer, or at least spring, which is mercifully around the corner. This wine will pair well with a cornucopia of different foods, and also drinks quite nicely on its own.

The second wine is the Yorkville Cellars 2006 Cabernet Franc. 100% of the fruit is sourced from their Estate Vineyards. 10% Malbec was blended in. Aging occurred in French oak barrels for 20 months. The suggested retail price for this Franc is $25.

Plum, violets and a hint of chicory fills the nose of this wine. This Franc is medium bodied and the palate features extensive Bing cherry, a touch of leather, and copious spice notes. Apricot and light lemon zest notes also emerge. Mineral and continued biting spice characteristics are prominent on the finish.  This wine is balanced and has firm acidity. This selection will be a good match for a range of foods, Paella, specifically comes to mind as an excellent choice.

What I liked about these to Francs is that they are each full flavored, and offer sufficient complexity, and value, for their price points. Good dry Rosé is of particular interest to me, and this example from Yorkville Cellars, is well crafted, delicious and also fun. The 2006 Franc stands out to me specifically because of the apricot and lemon zest components. While subtle, these characteristics strike me as unique. These are the first wines I’ve had from Yorkville Cellars, they certainly won’t be the last.

Up Next: 12 Days of Cabernet Franc Continues

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My first experience with Peju occurred during my initial visit to Napa Valley, back in the early 90′s. Back then I recall being impressed by the tasting room, as well as one of their white wines. Over the years, during frequent trips to California, Peju has become a bit of a regular stop for me. The tasting room is still nice, but it’s the killer juice that keeps me going back time and again. I’ve found the Peju wines to be very consistent in style and quality over time, an enviable feat for any producer. I’m glad to look at two of their offerings, during the 12 Days of Cabernet Franc.

The first wine up is the 2006 Peju Napa Valley Cabernet Franc. 16% Cabernet Sauvignon was blended in. This wine was aged in a combination of French (55%) and American (45%) oak for 18 months, 40% of it was new. 1,846 cases of this wine were produced and the suggested retail price is $45.

This 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Franc has cloves in the nose, as well as both black and red plum notes. There is an incredible purity of dark fruit throughout the palate, along with cedar and mineral characteristics. Towards the back of the palate, dusty Baker’s chocolate kicks in and leads to a finish filled with espresso, earth, toast, and cherry pie notes, underscored by a bit of a forest floor element. This wine has a firm tannic structure and good acidity.

What struck me most about this wine is that it has the classic big nose associated with Cab Franc and the structure most often thought of in regards to Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a little tight coming out of the bottle, and if you’re going to drink it now, decanting for about an hour, is recommended. If you’re patient, tuck it away for a couple of years, and it’s sure to improve in the short term, and drink well for about 5 years after that.

The second wine is the 2005 Peju Rutherford Reserve Cabernet Franc. This selection has 1% Cabernet Sauvignon blended in. It was aged in French oak for 26 months, of which 85% was new. 980 cases of this wine were produced and the suggested retail price is $95.

The nose of this Rutherford designate reserve Franc is filled with black raspberry, plum, and blueberry as a well as gingerbread spice notes. The entire palate is opulent and mouth-filling. Expressive berry fruit and chocolate notes are underscored by classic elements of Rutherford dust. An absolutely wonderful, hedonistic expression of pure fruit continues through the finish, and is joined by black tea, spice, leather, and earth. That finish is incredibly impressive, persistent and lingering. This is one of those wines that continually beckon you back to the glass, for sip after the sip, until you realize the bottle is gone, all too soon.

Everything about this Rutherford Cabernet Franc impressed me, but there are of course highlights. For me it’s two things. One is the amazing finish, which quite frankly I can’t say enough about. The other, is that this Franc does a fine job of conveying its sense of place.

Both of these offerings underscore the lovely wines that Peju has been steadily pumping out since their inception, in the early 80′s. In my time tasting and drinking their wines, the name Peju has come to mean many things to me, the first however is quality.

Up Next: More Cabernet Franc!

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There are, of course, wineries of all sizes. The next selection for the 12 Days of Cabernet Franc, comes from a Winery of the humungous variety. As far as wineries go, Clos du Bois is a juggernaut. They started in 1974 and have subsequently become a very well known name in wine. While the average consumer likely knows them for the host of wines they make in the everyday drinking price range, Clos du Bois makes wines in a number of brackets.

The 2005 Clos du Bois Alexander Valley Cabernet Franc was sourced from two specific parcels. This offering isn’t available in stores and can only be acquired through their tasting room or website. 450 cases of this Franc were produced and the suggested retail price is $40.

Blackberry and plum note star in the nose of this Alexander Valley Cabernet Franc. Throughout the palate, dark, fleshy plum dominates the fruit characteristics, while fruitcake spice notes underpin them. Black tea notes kick in towards the back of the plate and lead into the finish. Leather, chicory and sweet dark chocolate fill a finish that is smooth and a bit above average in length. This wine is an excellent match for Corned beef, Pastrami or other smoked, cured meats.

What I liked best about this wine is its accessibility. For a wine that should age well for several years, it’s ready to go, and expressive, from the first pour. It’s also a well layered, fairly complex wine that does a good job showing off its Alexander Valley roots.

Up Next: The Cabernet Franc Keeps Coming!

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Today the 12 Days of Cabernet Franc swings back west, Sonoma to be exact. Gundlach Bundschu has a storied history that reaches back as far as 1858, when it started as Rhinefarm. Far more recently, in 2001, they made the decision to focus exclusively on the production of Estate Wines. They also use sustainable practices, considering themselves caretakers of the land.

The 2006 Gundlach Bundschu Cabernet Franc has 8% Syrah blended in. Fruit was sourced from a single block that was planted in 1999. This wine spent 15 months in French oak, with 35% of it being new. 743 cases of this offering were produced, and the suggested retail price is $38.

What was immediately obvious about this wine, is that it needed some time to really open up. It was pretty tight out of the bottle, and decanting for at least an hour, is my recommendation, two wouldn’t hurt. After that though, it really began to express itself. The effusive nose showed plum pudding and fruitcake spice notes as well as dark berry fruit. The medium bodied palate, was filled with cherry, leather, and light bramble notes. The finish is a terrific one, featuring berry, building earth (increases as it opens up), spice, and a touch of chicory. This wine is well structured and has firm acidity. An excellent food wine.

This 2006 Franc from Gundlach Bundschu has the elements that I most think of when this great varietal comes to mind. The big, expressive nose, and solid core of fruit, really shine through. This wine is very enjoyable now, after decanting. However my recommendation, if you can wait, is to lay it down for a year or two. That should be enough time to really bring everything together, so this wine is at it’s peak.

Up Next: The 12 Days of Cabernet Franc Continues !

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The next selection for the 12 Days of Cabernet Franc takes me about 3,000 miles east to Cape Cod. Truro Vineyards has a history dating back 15 plus years. Current owners, the Roberts family acquired the winery in 2007. Beyond the approximately 10 wines they currently make, plans are afoot to eventually source grapes from other regions.

The 2006 Truro Vineyards Cabernet Franc was fermented in open vats and given prolonged skin contact. The wine was aged in American oak for 20 months. The suggested retail price for this wine is $15.99.

The nose of this Cape Cod Franc is filled with Cranberry and violet notes. The palate is medium bodied with continued cranberry notes along with red raspberry and vanilla. White and black pepper emerges on the finish as well as nutmeg. The finish is medium in length. This wine will be a good match for pineapple glazed ham.

One of my goals when I selected wines to taste for the 12 Days of Cabernet Franc was to reach into some regions that aren’t the first I would think of. I was curious to see what was going on with Cabernet Franc in some diverse areas of the US. I’m glad to report that I found several fine examples from less obvious regions. I really enjoyed this selection from Truro. It’s well priced at $15.99, providing true character and a medium bodied, easy drinking palate. It reminds me more of Old World Cab Franc then it does California Franc.

Up Next: The 12 Days of Cabernet Franc Continues!

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Today, the 12 Days of Cabernet Franc moves to the Sierra Foothills and Ironstone Vineyards. 2009 marks 20 years that Ironstone started work on their Winery Facility. In that time they’ve become a pretty large producer, whose wines are readily available on US Wine store shelves. They make a couple of Cabernet Francs and I’ll look at each of them.

First up is the Ironstone 2006 Cabernet Franc. This selection has 4% Cabernet Sauvignon blended in. Fruit for this wine was sourced in Lodi. This bottling spent 12 months in a combination of French and American oak. 10,000 cases of this Franc were produced and the suggested retail price is $11.

Notes of wild red strawberry dipped in fresh cream fill the nose of this wine. Throughout the palate, this 2006 Franc is medium bodied, with a host of red, and black cherry notes, as well as berry pie crust spices.  The finish brings out some subtle cola notes, along with leather and tobacco. This wine is soft and approachable, making it a good fit with a wide array of foods. I found myself craving a Cuban Panini.

What impressed me about this Cabernet Franc, was the amount of varietal character, at a $12 suggested retail price. Combine the price, with it’s wide availability, and this is a good wine to use as an introduction to Francs in general. This wine is made to enjoy in its youth, when the nose and palate are bright, lively, and exuberant.

The second wine today is the 2006 Ironstone Reserve. This offering has 12% Cabernet Sauvignon blended in. Fruit was sourced at Ironstone’s Estate Vineyards in the Sierra Foothills. This selection was aged for 24 months in French and American oak. 3,500 6-pack cases, of the reserve, were produced, and the suggested retail price is $28.

The Reserve isn’t nearly as immediately accessible as the other Franc. If you’re going to drink it now, decanting for a minimum of 90 minutes is my recommendation. That time allows it to really open up and come into its own. The nose has prominent dark berry, bramble and vanilla notes. Throughout the palate, intense, dark, fleshy fruit flavors dominate. They’re supported by leather and cedar notes. The medium length finish has cranberry, sour cherry and white pepper. This offering has a firm tannic structure and good acidity. This reserve Cabernet Franc will be best suited to mach bigger, bolder, more flavorful foods.

This offering from Ironstone should improve over the next 2-3 years, and drink well for several after that.

Both Cabernet Francs from Ironstone Vineyards are well made and distinct. The one sourced in Lodi offers easy drink-ability, good varietal character, and easy affordability. The Reserve is more complex, layered and extroverted. It also offers value in its price, and quality range.

Up Next: 10 More Days of Cabernet Franc !

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