| Cabernet Franc Tasting Report |
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We had our Cabernet Franc tasting at Sheree’s house, or
should I say, kitchen. And what a kitchen it was! The boys
stood around the bar, while the girls hovered around the
island, where most of the food was. They were no dummies!
The theme for the night, in both food and wine, was clearly
vegetables. A chunky marinara sauce poured over cheese
filled ravioli, some assorted dips and plates, including an
artichoke based dish, and of course a little cheese thrown in to
boot. As for the wines, which were mostly Californian, they
all possessed a little of that herbal and earthy aromas and
flavors that the varietal is famous for. Thus, they were a
perfect complement to the food we had prepared for the
evening’s tasting.
We tasted four Cabernet Franc’s from California, one from
Washington, one from the Loire Valley in France and
probably the most unique wine came from Southeastern New
England. Very interesting to say the least! For the most part,
Cabernet Franc is not a wine that ages gracefully, (exceptions
would be Bordeaux, France) and we had a few older examples
that I feel had started on their downward slide in their wine
lives. One older wine, the one from Washington State,
shockingly had not reached its prime and still had plenty of
life left in it, thus bucking that trend.
Cabernet Franc is definitely a food wine and I mean that as
both a complement and a criticism. As a red wine, it reaches a
little into white wine territory in the food items that it may be
paired with. Especially food of the vegetable variety. Food
that just doesn’t seem to sparkle or shine with red wine seems
to be given new life with a good Cabernet Franc wine. The
downside is, in my humble opinion, I do not think that
Cabernet Franc makes a good sipping wine. It has very strong
herbal and earthy overtones that mask a majority of its
fruitier side and really beckons to be drunk with food. About
half of our tasting panel agreed with me and the other half
didn’t on that subject. I just think they were ready for some
wine after a tough day at the office!
For the first time in all of our tasting reports, we had a tie for
first place. However, that being said, I think that since the
Gainey cost roughly half of what the Reverie sells for, it
should have been the real winner! Speaking of said wines,
here are our controversial tasting results:
should I say, kitchen. And what a kitchen it was! The boys
stood around the bar, while the girls hovered around the
island, where most of the food was. They were no dummies!
The theme for the night, in both food and wine, was clearly
vegetables. A chunky marinara sauce poured over cheese
filled ravioli, some assorted dips and plates, including an
artichoke based dish, and of course a little cheese thrown in to
boot. As for the wines, which were mostly Californian, they
all possessed a little of that herbal and earthy aromas and
flavors that the varietal is famous for. Thus, they were a
perfect complement to the food we had prepared for the
evening’s tasting.
We tasted four Cabernet Franc’s from California, one from
Washington, one from the Loire Valley in France and
probably the most unique wine came from Southeastern New
England. Very interesting to say the least! For the most part,
Cabernet Franc is not a wine that ages gracefully, (exceptions
would be Bordeaux, France) and we had a few older examples
that I feel had started on their downward slide in their wine
lives. One older wine, the one from Washington State,
shockingly had not reached its prime and still had plenty of
life left in it, thus bucking that trend.
Cabernet Franc is definitely a food wine and I mean that as
both a complement and a criticism. As a red wine, it reaches a
little into white wine territory in the food items that it may be
paired with. Especially food of the vegetable variety. Food
that just doesn’t seem to sparkle or shine with red wine seems
to be given new life with a good Cabernet Franc wine. The
downside is, in my humble opinion, I do not think that
Cabernet Franc makes a good sipping wine. It has very strong
herbal and earthy overtones that mask a majority of its
fruitier side and really beckons to be drunk with food. About
half of our tasting panel agreed with me and the other half
didn’t on that subject. I just think they were ready for some
wine after a tough day at the office!
For the first time in all of our tasting reports, we had a tie for
first place. However, that being said, I think that since the
Gainey cost roughly half of what the Reverie sells for, it
should have been the real winner! Speaking of said wines,
here are our controversial tasting results:
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| Gainey Limited Selection Cabernet Franc 2002 – Santa Ynez, California |
Nose – A wonderfully rich and complex
bouquet of cherry fruit, cinnamon and
spring violet flowers
Taste – Fantastic with rich layers of
raspberry and complex cherry fruit on a
medium bodied frame. Less emphasis on
the herbal overtones and more on the
fruitiness
This could have been the one exception to
my drinking Cabernet Franc with food only
theory as it was full of jammy fruit flavor.
Indeed most people were quite pleased
with this wine. It also had a fantastic nose
to it. More inviting then some of the other
wines.
bouquet of cherry fruit, cinnamon and
spring violet flowers
Taste – Fantastic with rich layers of
raspberry and complex cherry fruit on a
medium bodied frame. Less emphasis on
the herbal overtones and more on the
fruitiness
This could have been the one exception to
my drinking Cabernet Franc with food only
theory as it was full of jammy fruit flavor.
Indeed most people were quite pleased
with this wine. It also had a fantastic nose
to it. More inviting then some of the other
wines.
| Score B+ |
| Price $22.00 |
| Reverie Diamond Mountain District Cabernet Franc 2000 – Napa Valley, California |
Nose – Fragrant cherries upfront with
herbal accents of sage that penetrate the
air with grace and reverie (Sorry, I couldn’t
help myself!)
Taste – Very jammy with a nice medium
body and a rich mouthfeel. The cherry and
spices meld well to make this wine a real
crowd pleaser.
A very solid wine indeed, but for the
money, it did nothing to separate itself
from the Gainey. Again, this is one you
could sip on with your honey and I think
that is why most everyone liked it.
herbal accents of sage that penetrate the
air with grace and reverie (Sorry, I couldn’t
help myself!)
Taste – Very jammy with a nice medium
body and a rich mouthfeel. The cherry and
spices meld well to make this wine a real
crowd pleaser.
A very solid wine indeed, but for the
money, it did nothing to separate itself
from the Gainey. Again, this is one you
could sip on with your honey and I think
that is why most everyone liked it.
| Score B+ |
| Price $40.00 |
| Ironstone Vineyards Cabernet Franc 1999 – California (Various places) |
Nose – More emphasis on herbal notes
Taste – A thin-bodied wine with little
touches of mint and licorice that give way
to subtle cherry and more demanding
herbal flavors.
This is where the wine snob in me took
over! I could tell from the color and nose
that this wine had started its downward
decline. I could also make an educated
guess at the price of the wine by its flavor
depth. I was overruled on this one by most
of the crowd, however, it was the last wine
of our tasting and obviously the wine had
clouded everyone’s good judgment! I’m
kidding of course!
Taste – A thin-bodied wine with little
touches of mint and licorice that give way
to subtle cherry and more demanding
herbal flavors.
This is where the wine snob in me took
over! I could tell from the color and nose
that this wine had started its downward
decline. I could also make an educated
guess at the price of the wine by its flavor
depth. I was overruled on this one by most
of the crowd, however, it was the last wine
of our tasting and obviously the wine had
clouded everyone’s good judgment! I’m
kidding of course!
| Score B |
| Price $8.00 |
| Arbor Crest Cabernet Franc 1999 – Columbia Valley, Washington |
Nose – Red fruit flavors of raspberry and cherry
that are quickly brushed aside with bold aromas
of wild and weedy herbal accents and bell
peppers
Taste – Even though the wine was thin-bodied it
had plenty of complex flavors working through
its profile and plenty of bold tannins to spare. A
nice level of acidity and tannins in the wine
means this bottle has plenty of glorious years
ahead of it.
This wine had my utmost respect. Honestly, you
don’t have to be an experienced wine taster to
know that this wine was extremely well made by
someone that really cared for it. I think we all
agreed that it was not in its prime drinking stage
and needed a few more years for some of those
strong vegetable flavors to blow over. The fact
that this was a 1999 vintage (One of the two
oldest in our tasting) and had plenty of life left in
it is a testament to the strength of Washington
State’s terroir for Cabernet Franc wines.
that are quickly brushed aside with bold aromas
of wild and weedy herbal accents and bell
peppers
Taste – Even though the wine was thin-bodied it
had plenty of complex flavors working through
its profile and plenty of bold tannins to spare. A
nice level of acidity and tannins in the wine
means this bottle has plenty of glorious years
ahead of it.
This wine had my utmost respect. Honestly, you
don’t have to be an experienced wine taster to
know that this wine was extremely well made by
someone that really cared for it. I think we all
agreed that it was not in its prime drinking stage
and needed a few more years for some of those
strong vegetable flavors to blow over. The fact
that this was a 1999 vintage (One of the two
oldest in our tasting) and had plenty of life left in
it is a testament to the strength of Washington
State’s terroir for Cabernet Franc wines.
| Score B |
| Price $25.00 |
| Hahn Cabernet Franc 2001 – Santa Lucia Highlands, California |
Nose – Asparagus, turnip greens, carrots
and mushrooms. If it’s a vegetable and/or
earthy, it was in this wine!
Taste – A medium bodied wine full of plum
and cherry stone fruits that made this very
drinkable and food friendly. Certainly
better than the vegetable medley nose
would imply.
This wine would be the perfect example of
what I think of when I think of Cabernet
Franc wines. If you are stumped about
what to serve with dinner and it is chucked
full of heavy vegetables, then let this wine
be your guide.
and mushrooms. If it’s a vegetable and/or
earthy, it was in this wine!
Taste – A medium bodied wine full of plum
and cherry stone fruits that made this very
drinkable and food friendly. Certainly
better than the vegetable medley nose
would imply.
This wine would be the perfect example of
what I think of when I think of Cabernet
Franc wines. If you are stumped about
what to serve with dinner and it is chucked
full of heavy vegetables, then let this wine
be your guide.
| Score B |
| Price $12.00 |
| (Producer unknown) Chinon – Cuvee’ Terroir 2001 – AOC Chinon, Loire Valley, France |
Nose – Mint and loam managed to break
through all of the big cherry aromas to give
it complexity
Taste – This thin-bodied Cab Franc shows
some tart cherry and subtle plum followed
up with grassy accents that persist all the
way to the finish.
And so once again, France has failed to
impress our American judges. Even I wasn’
t exactly blown away and this wine came
highly regarded to me by people who would
know. Another good food wine, however.
Not for the herbal accents, but for the
depth of plums and acidic cherries that
would cut through a marinara sauce warmly.
through all of the big cherry aromas to give
it complexity
Taste – This thin-bodied Cab Franc shows
some tart cherry and subtle plum followed
up with grassy accents that persist all the
way to the finish.
And so once again, France has failed to
impress our American judges. Even I wasn’
t exactly blown away and this wine came
highly regarded to me by people who would
know. Another good food wine, however.
Not for the herbal accents, but for the
depth of plums and acidic cherries that
would cut through a marinara sauce warmly.
| Score B |
| Price $20.00 |
| Truro Vineyards of Cape Cod Cabernet Franc 2000 – Southeastern New England |
Nose – Clunky scents of gooseberry with
strong foxy aromas
Taste – Very tight with its flavors and
tired. Some feint cherries managed to
moment. Over the hill.
Kudos to Shawn for bringing us something
original and hard to find. I just wished he
could have brought it to us about two years
sooner! It would have been interesting to
taste this while it was still in its prime.
strong foxy aromas
Taste – Very tight with its flavors and
tired. Some feint cherries managed to
moment. Over the hill.
Kudos to Shawn for bringing us something
original and hard to find. I just wished he
could have brought it to us about two years
sooner! It would have been interesting to
taste this while it was still in its prime.
| Score B- |
| Price $18.00 |
