Cabernet Franc

Located in Southern Tuscany, Val Delle Rose is one of the largest wineries in the region. Their 2018 Aurelio, something of a flagship wine, offers superb quality fruit - muted pomegranate, rhubarb, black cherry, blackberry, along with a judicious use of oak that brings out cedar notes. There are vague back notes of dusty cocoa. This is a nicely balanced wine that combines all the necessary elements of oak, fruit, tannin and acidity, making for a wine that would be very complementary for any number of foods.

Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, tobacco and slight barnyard.  Great texture   Tannins are all integrated.  Complex and deep.  Just about at peak.  Layers of cherries and black cherries and also some tobacco.  Good finish.  Delicious.  This drinks well on its own but is better with food.  Lamb stew would be a nice choice.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

This is the flagship wine of one of Hungary's leading wineries.  It is a blend of 50% Cabernet Franc; 40% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Sauvignon with the grapes coming from the Csillagvölgy, Konkoly, Kopár, and Ördögárok vineyards.  Purple in color, opaque  but a bit cloudy.  The nose is nice with dust, spice and cherries.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is deep and complex.  Black cherry fruit with some cherries and a sli graphite note.  Pinpoint balance.  Nice, silky finish.  This is drinking well now and should continue to for another ten to twelve years.  It will go well wit

This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.  The label list 15% abv.  Purple in color, garnet at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, black cherries, spice and slight cigar box.  Full bodied.  Medium to firm tannins.  On the palate, cassis and black cherries with some underlying spice.  Very ripe for Hungary.  Quite delicious.  Enough acidity to work at the dinner table, it also drinks great on its own.  This needs strong flavors to stand up to it.  Pörkölt (Meat stew) would be a nice choice.  Drink over the next ten years.  

This is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from the state of Maryland.  Enrique and Felipe Pallares, originally from Ecuador, founded this winery in 2017.  Good wines are being made all over these days.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is very earthy with a bit of barnyard, but also tobacco, dried cherries and black cherries.  On the palate, there is some Brettanomyces.  Not off putting but noticeable.  There is also some black cherry fruit and underlying forest floor.  There is some complexity here.  It drinks well on its own and would work well wi

From one of the premier producers of Cabernet Franc in California.  The vines are part of what was historically To Kalon vineyard.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, slight cigar tobacco and cedar.  Wonderful texture.  Medium tannins.  Nice balance.  On the palate, lots of black cherries, some cassis with underlying spice.  Lots of energy.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This should last another ten to fifteen years.  Great on its own, better with food.  Roast duck or chicken would be great.  

Nice to try this from a "lesser" vintage but with some nice age on it.  It is in a very good place right now.  It is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Cabernet Franc.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, tobacco and a slight herbal notes.  Also a but of spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, cassis with underlying char.  Lots of depth.  Nice finish.  This won't get better but it is drinking very nicely and should continue for another eight to twelve years.  It works on its own but worked great with mushroom ravioli.  A great example of great

This is drinking well and at maturity (although no hurry).  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, iron, slight tobacco and slight iodine.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this has black cherry fruit with underlying tobacco and a bit of that iron note.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  This will work better with food.  Roasted chicken or vegetables would work well.

Rusell Bevan is a superstar winemaker who has many projects going.  The EE Cuvee is consistently one of my favorites.  This vintage is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Cabernet France from the Tench and Tin Box vineyards.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, blueberries, spice, tobacco and char.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has a great texture; lush with firm tannins.  This is a big wine that is still drinking young.  It will take another ten to fifteen years to reach maturity.  Once there it should last for another twenty.  That said, it

This is 100% old school Cabernet Franc from the Loire valley in France.  Coming in at 12.5% ABV, this is a classic Loire Red wine.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and mostly bright.  The nose has black cherries, tobacco, some bell pepper, slight "twigs and sticks".  Medium bodied.  Nice acidity.  On the palate, this drinks easy but needs some food.  Some black cherry fruit with plenty of forest floor and tobacco.  A bit of green bell pepper.  Moderate finish.  This would work well with lamb stew.  Drink over the next five to seven years.