Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Franco is 100% Cabernet Franc and a stunning representation of an unusually cool vintage, starting with minty aromas enriched by petrichor, turned earth and notes of dried black fruit. The palate is quintessential Maquis with its soft, seamlessly rich yet subtle profile, culminating in an elegant, concentrated finish supported by fine-grained, lifted tannins.
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James Suckling
Aromas of blackberry, blueberry and stone follow through to a medium body, solid core of fruit and a long and firm finish. Shows tension and focus.
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.
Well-regarded for intense and exceptionally high quality red wines, the Colchagua Valley is situated in the southern part of Chile’s Rapel Valley, with many of the best vineyards lying in the foothills of the Coastal Range.
Heavy French investment and cutting-edge technology in both the vineyard and the winery has been a boon to the local viticultural industry, which already laid claim to ancient vines and a textbook Mediterranean climate.
The warm, dry growing season in the Colchagua Valley favors robust reds made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Malbec and Syrah—in fact, some of Chile’s very best are made here. A small amount of good white wine is produced from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.