Cabernet
Franc is one of those grapes that people either know and love, or say, “Cabernet
what?” While the best-known expression of Franc come from the Loire Valley,
California has long worked with the grape and there are over 300 wineries in
the Golden State alone that produce a Franc. Many are rather under the radar
and this is true of the 2016 Luna Hart Cabernet Franc. Winemaker Gretchen
Voelcker made just 53 cases, sourced from Camp 4 Vineyard in the Los Olivos
District of Santa Barbara County. She used native fermentation; a six-week
extended maceration, then aged the wine in neutral French oak for 16 months.
This
offers restrained blueberry and black berry, lingonberry, darker hints of resin
and anise and it fills the mid-palate and extends well into the finish. The
acidity hides until the end, being almost subversive. The oak treatment is
there, but properly framed, and in fact offers a mature smoked note. I prepared veal pork loin with apricot
reduction for this wine. Imagine what you could do.
ORIGIN: Santa
Barbara, California
PRICE: $34/ 750ML
ALCOHOL: 13.7%
SCORE:
91 POINTS
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