Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This is one of the first monovarietal expressions of Cabernet Franc to shine the spotlight on the grape and its exciting performance in Bolgheri. The Poggio al Tesoro 2016 Bolgheri Superiore Dedicato A Walter opens to a darkly saturated and impenetrable appearance. The bouquet is heavily enriched with black fruit, burnt ember, mesquite and campfire ash. The oak is quite evident at this stage, but it should continue to shed and sand away with time. At its core, the wine is packed with black fruit, and you also get delicate notes of rosemary oil, pressed lavender and scorched earth.
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James Suckling
A lovely focus and length to this pure cabernet franc with currants, black berries and hints of vanilla. Lavender, too. It’s full and tight with juicy fruit. Remains vertical and long.
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Wine Spectator
This red is vibrant and tightly woven, featuring black currant, blackberry, wild herb, iron and spice flavors. The oak is well integrated, as are the powdery tannins. The finish is long and focused. Best from 2022 through 2038.
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.
An outstanding wine region made famous by Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, who planted Cabernet Sauvignon vines for his own consumption in 1940s on his San Guido estate, and called the resulting wine, Sassicaia. Today the region’s Tuscan reds are based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which can be made as single varietal wines or blends. The local Sangiovese can make up no more than 50% of the blends. Today Sassicaia has its own DOC designation within the Bogheri DOC appellation.