Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Orange and cranberry take center stage, while savory cinnamon and cardamom dance in the background, shimmering around full-bodied tannin and oak. Mildly exotic, there's an intensity to this wine, that ends in fig compote.
-
Connoisseurs' Guide
More than ripe and deep enough and on the refined side of the Petite Sirah spectrum, this attractive effort does veer a tad more than needed to dark chocolate and ripe plums as adjuncts to its blackberry and caramelly oak personality. Full in body, moderately tannic and showing edges of black pepper spicing to its lasting flavors, the wine does stay clear of the brusque potential of the grape but does not ever lose its way. Give it three to five years in the cellar if you are of a mind, but whether aged or not, this one will pair well with the sturdiest roasts.
Since the founding of the winery in 1992, Frank Family Vineyards has poured their passion for land, grape growing and winemaking into each and every bottle of Frank Family Vineyards wine. Today they own over 450 acres of the finest vineyard land checkerboarded throughout the Napa Valley. This allows them to control quality and cultivate sustainably on their own estate and enables winemaker, Todd Graff, to blend perfectly balanced wines. With a commitment to crafting the finest representation of Napa Valley wines, Frank Family Vineyards hopes to create a legacy for generations to come.
As early as the 1970s Carneros became known as a source of terrific Pinot Noir, and was one of the first California regions to gain such a reputation. The combination of sunny days, cooling fog and thin clay soils are tailor-made for the variety. Another factor in Pinot Noir’s prominent place here is vintners’ willingness to experiment widely. The history of the grape in Carneros is marked by continuous research into clonal variations, viticultural techniques and site selection. Careful evaluation over time has revealed a signature flavor profile as well. Complex aromas and flavors of cherry, red berry, spice, earth and cola appear time and again in Carneros Pinot Noir. To this day the appellation remains one of California’s standard bearers for the variety.