Nose
Aromas of fresh cranberries, raspberry preserve & dried herbs.
Palate
Bright red fruits dominate the front palate, giving way to underlying notes of fresh eucalyptus & baking spices with grippy tannins that lead to a mouthwatering finish with notes of tomato leaf & pomegranate fruit leather.
Growing Conditions
The Cabernet Franc is located at the foot of our Western block. These vines were first planted by the original site owner in the early 1980s, we interplanted amongst these old vines & extended this block in 2013 & 2016. Our Cabernet Franc Reserve is composed of grapes from the oldest vines of this site. The overall soil consists of clay, is very iron rich, deep & fertile. Rocky deposits throughout the site range from small 2-6 inch sizes up to rocks a few feet wide!
The 2023 vintage sent us on a roller coaster of weather patterns that kept our vineyard crew on their toes. A damp spring gave way to stretches of drought & downpours all summer long. In late August/early September, we experienced some wild swings of intense heat followed by late summer rains that had us closely monitoring our clusters. Due to the warmer that usual temps, we tested our grapes almost daily to ensure we timed the harvest just right to preserve pH.
Harvest
We harvested Cabernet Franc for our reserve bottling on October 5, 2023.
Winemaking
The grapes are destemmed, & crushed with 16 days maceration during fermentation in the Ganimede tank which allows for gentle color & tannin extraction.
Aging
The wine aged for 14 months in 10 French oak barrels, a mix of 2nd use & neutral. The resulting barrels were blended, bottled & aged prior to release.
Appearance
A beautiful garnet color.
Food Pairing
Tomato Basil Cheddar, Gorgonzola, Braised Short Rib, Lamp Chops
