Community Tasting Notes 12

• dera Likes this wine: 89 points

  May 10, 2023 - Intense but not entirely opaque dark ruby/tint of garnet. Nose with meat and savory notes, black pepper, ripe cherries and just a touch of green bell peppers. Palate is full bodied, muscular and ripe with ash, very dark fruit, slightly tart cherries, chocolate, charred bacon, and finish with just a touch of lift of mint/menthol and nice acidity. Tannins somewhat softened but still grippy.

  3 people found this helpful Comment

• Mdmiller wrote: 90 points

  February 21, 2023 - This is drinking really well now with only a short decant. Interestingly, the front of the palate is rather shy but dark fruits & cherries step forward mid palate. The wine is layered, boldly flavored with dark fruit notes & nicely balanced with acidity and structure. I detected menthol/mint on the finish that is both delicious & refreshing in such a muscular wine.

  1 person found this helpful Comment

• forceberry wrote: 89 points

  May 9, 2022 - A blend of estate-grown Cabernet Franc (97%), Malbec (2%) and Merlot (1%) from Walla Walla. Aged in a combination on old (65%) and new (35%) French oak barrels. Bottled on 16th of November, 2020. 500 cases made. 14,9% alcohol. Tasted blind.
  
  Very deep, only slightly translucent blackish-red color with a subtly evolved rusty hue. Ripe, rich and quite dark-toned nose with somewhat savory aromas of autumn leaves, juicy dark berries and licorice, some woody notes of oak spice, a little bit of boozy alcohol, light sweeter nuances of marmaladey dark fruit, a hint of inky character and a touch of very ripe black cherry. The wine feels ripe, dense and chewy on the palate with a full body and a taste that is surprisingly dry for such a ripe wine. There are savory flavors of licorice, ripe blackcurrants, some herbaceous notes of autumnal leaves, a little bit of blueberry, light toasty oak nuances, a hint of inky character and a touch of redcurrant juice. Although the high alcohol shows a little, the overall feel is pretty balanced, thanks to the rather high acidity and ripe, textural tannins that contribute some grip to the palate. The finish is rich, bold and somewhat warm with a little bit of tannic grip and quite savory flavors of blueberries, some leafy tones, a little bit of licorice, light oaky notes of vanilla and sweet toasty wood, a hint of blackcurrant juice and a touch of peppery spice.
  
  A very ripe and quite fruit-forward but at the same time enjoyably harmonious and surprisingly savory Cab Franc. At first I wondered whether this was a Cabernet Sauvignon, but due to the slightly leafy overall character I decided against it and guessed Cabernet Franc. I went for California due to the rather obvious ripeness and quite high alcohol, but this turned out to be from Washington instead. Well, at least I got the American Cab Franc part correct. All in all a pretty well made effort with some oak and quite a bit of ripeness - yet still letting the varietal character shine through. Although I prefer my Cab Francs a bit lighter, with less ripeness (and perhaps more herbaceous overall character), this was still a thoroughly enjoyable example of Washington Cab Franc - especially for the very affordable price of $9. Although the wine is drinking mighty well right now, I think it could actually improve a bit more with some bottle age. An excellent everyday sipper for people who like their wines from the ripe and fruity yet not sweet nor overdone end of the spectrum. Recommended.

  6 people found this helpful Comment

• CheapAndBest Likes this wine:

  March 8, 2022 - 2nd and last note. 4 hours in decanter in fridge.
  With sautéed potatoes-greens and leftover pasta
  Was fine. Just like cousin 102 (CS) was perfectly serviceable red. Fresh, more umami than the CS, and less bright
  Won't reminisce after finishing the case. Will have served its purpose adequately - of being a decent pour of red wine
  
  Postscript: 1 day later..same pleasant red...with bean and tomato soup. All good

  Comment

• CheapAndBest Likes this wine:

  February 15, 2022 - Absolutely requires 30 minute airing.
  With creamy pasta with beans and radicchio. The side tomato-balsamic salad did not mess with the experience
  Very nice after 30 minutes
  Post dinner sipping is good too. However, clearly a food wine

  1 person found this helpful Comment

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Wine Definition

• Vintage 2018
• Type Red
• Producer de Négoce
• Varietal Cabernet Franc
• Designation OG N.101
• Vineyard n/a
• Country USA
• Region Washington
• SubRegion Columbia Valley
• Appellation Walla Walla Valley

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• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 426 (50%)
• Consumed 428 (50%)

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