Winemaker Notes
100% whole berry destemmed into open top fermenters. 25-30 day fermentation active, with pump overs twice daily. 22 months ageing in French oak barrels, about a third new. Bottled without fining or filtration.
Professional Ratings
-
Vinous
The 2020 Cabernet Franc Tinaquaic Vineyard is a classic Santa Barbara wine with tons of fruit presence. Dried flowers, red-toned fruit, pomegranate, rose petal, herbs and licorice infuse the 2020 with tons of character. There's plenty of personality here.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Ripe currants, sappy green herbs, bay leaf, and cedary notes all emerge from the 2020 Cabernet Franc Tinaquaic Vineyard, another medium to full-bodied, nicely balanced, elegant 2020 from this estate that has lots to love. All varietal from a site in the Santa Maria Valley, it spent 22 months in 15% new barrels. It will keep for 7-8 years.
-
James Suckling
A nicely saturated, velvety wine with ample dark fruit flavors and a smooth texture. Blackberries, raspberries and blueberries on soft tannins accented by milk chocolate and cassis.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Dense aromas of soy, tar and asphalt are cut by dried dark fruit scents on the nose of this bottling. A warm woodspice coats the baked red fruit and cherry flavors of the palate.
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.
A lesser-known but elite AVA within the larger Santa Barbara district, the Santa Maria Valley AVA runs precisely west to east starting near the coast. The valley funnels cool, Pacific Ocean air to the vineyards more inland, allowing grapes a longer hang time to ripen evenly and achieve their full potential by harvest time. Combined with minimal rainfall, consistent warm sunshine, and well-drained soils, it is an ideal environment for grape growing.
Many of the wineries here are small and highly respected, having established a reputation in the 1970s and 80s for producing excellent Central Coast wines like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. More recently, Syrah has also proven quite successful in the region. Many vineyards are owned by growers who sell their grapes to other wineries, so it is common to see the same vineyard name on bottlings from different wineries. Bien Nacido Vineyard is perhaps the best-known and most prestigious.