Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Matured for three years in barrels followed by an additional year in stainless steel, the 2019 Cabernet Franc from Rocher des Violettes reveals an elegant, perfumed bouquet of rose, violet, dark berries and mulberries. Medium- to full-bodied, it is structured and dense, with firm tannins and a slightly austere profile. A touch of reduction lingers on the finish, suggesting this wine will benefit from another year or two in the cellar to fully blossom.
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.
Stretching east along the steep banks of the Loire River, Touraine is a major part of the Middle Loire. Soil variations of clay, sand, tuffeau and gravel throughout its subregions support both white and red varieties. Chinon and Bourgueil remain the source of Loire’s finest Cabernet Franc; various styles of the most outstanding Chenin blanc come from Vouvray and Montlouis.