....Wines of Substance, that is.
Doug performed a wedding this weekend for some friends of ours, & they gave us a wonderful thank you gift. Not only did they give us a gift card to Veritas (if you recall, one of our favorite haunts), but they also had the owner pick out a bottle of wine for us.
I'm happy to report that he knows us quite well.
He chose the 2009 Wines of Substance Cabernet Franc from Washington. You see, he knows.
Well-made Cab Franc, plainly stated, rocks. It's one of my favorite varietals. This surprised the hell out of a wine dude from Bordeaux that we had brunch with this past Sunday. That statement alone makes me so incredibly cool. All of my coolness aside...while Cab Franc is one of the 5 red Bordeaux varietals, it's mostly used for blending in that region. Really, it's only a major player on its own in the Loire Valley, where the wine is called Chinon after one of the town the vines are grown in.
Ah, but that's just France.
Doug & I decided to open the Wines of Substance tonight, & WOW. The nose was heavenly & quite complex. I picked up some herbal notes like mint - actually, more like a mint tea - & dried cherries. Maybe some rosemary & some other green stuff. Not too much, but just enough. Once I tasted it, I got some raspberry, plum & something like cherry cough drops...the really good ones. Killer finish - if I timed it, I think it would be well over 30 seconds, but I'm not that big of a dork. I could go on & on, but I'll spare you. There's no need to get super-technical. One, I really can't get super technical; two, that gets boring; & three, I want to focus on one of my new favorite bottles.
Cheers!
Les Alliés 2023 Sancerre
19 hours ago
5 comments:
Good stuff here!
Claire, I've seen simple signs like that, but what's inside is GREAT.
I wish I could write will-o-the-wisp sweet as your post, but the "serious-bug" gets me utilitarian-boring.
I have a few bottles of Cab-Franc, but haven't gotten to them yet (That's the problem with beginning
wine-tasting at 59).
Claire, any idea how Cab-Franc age? I image that since it is the paternal side of Cab-Sauv, they do age well.
Glad for you new post, and be well,
Dennis
Hey Doll! Long time! Just popped in to say hello. I'm giving the "writing" thing a shot again, trying to get back in the swing. Glad to see you still plugging away too! xo
Wow, Dennis, I just now saw your comment!
As far as "getting to" your Cab Franc, I say just go for it. Open one up, see what you think.
Cab Francs can age for a while...not as long as a Cab, generally speaking. It's lighter than a Cab, & the grape itself has thinner skin. I think that has something to do with it. So, while it's not as delicate as Pinot (which can age, but not too terribly long, unless it's Burgundian, & even then, it can be iffy), my opinion is that you don't want to hang on to it too long.
But then, I rarely hang on to anything longer than 5 years or so, & it's very rarely intentional...
Hi Claire, just doing a bit of random blog hoping and came across yours. Nice to see a post about Cab franc, one of my favourite variatals.
very much enjoyed your posts, I'll have to stay tuned for more...
Cab Franc is the star of my vineyard. It ripens earlier than Cab Sauv, and it produces wines that are approachable far sooner. They typically have delicate aromas of herbs, berry fruit and sometimes a hint of wildflowers. They typically do not age well unless there is a slug of Cab Sauv blended in to crank up the tannins, which is what gives reds their ability to improve with time. But then again, I think that most reds can be improved with blending.
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