Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A blend of 75% Cabernet Franc and 25% Merlot, the 2018 Cabernet Franc is a beautifully elegant, seamless expression of the variety that I’d be happy to have in the cellar. Offering lots of red and blue fruits, camphor, flowers, and spice, it has a beautiful, seamless, medium to full-bodied style that keeps you coming back to the glass. This is one of those wines that grows on you with time in the glass, and while it’s not a blockbuster, it has flawless balance, ultra-fine tannins, and fabulous length. Count me impressed – this is the finest example of this cuvée to date.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed of 75% Cabernet Franc and 25% Merlot, the 2018 Cabernet Franc was aged for 22 months in oak, 76% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with vibrant scents of black cherries, warm plums and warm red currents with hints of graphite, cardamom and fragrant earth. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is laden with energetic, crunchy black and red fruits, supported by firm, grainy tannins and lovely freshness, finishing on a lingering ferrous note.
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James Suckling
Flowers, crushed stones and blue fruit on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm tannins and a nuanced finish. Tight, racy and focused. Mountain fruit. Drink after 2023.
Cabernet Franc, a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, is the subtler and more delicate of the Cabernets. Today Cabernet Franc produces outstanding single varietal wines across the wine-producing world. Somm Secret—One of California's best-kept secrets is the Happy Canyon appellation of Santa Barbara. Here Cabernet Franc shines as a single varietal wine or in blends, expressing sumptuous fruit, savory aromas and polished tannins.
Above the town of St. Helena on the eastern slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains sits the Spring Mountain District.
A dynamic region, its vineyards, cut by numerous springs and streams, vary in elevation, slope and aspect. Soils differ throughout with over 20 distinct types inside of the 8,600 acres that define the appellation. Within that area, only about 1,000 are planted to vineyards. Predominantly farmed by small, independent producers, the region currently has just over 30 wineries.
During the growing season, late afternoon Pacific Ocean breezes reach the Spring Mountain vineyards, which sit at between 400 and 1,200 feet. Daytime temperatures during mid summer and early fall remain slightly cooler than those of the valley floor.
Spring Mountain soils—volcanic matter and sedimentary rock—create intense but balanced reds with lush and delicate tannins. The area excels with Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot and in some cooler spots, Chardonnay.