2016 Kenzo Estate Cabernet Franc Asuka

Community Tasting Notes (2) Avg Score: 93 points

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  9/9/2021 - csimm wrote: 94 Points

  BLIND REDS - Bordeaux varietals (mostly Napa and BDX) - Over/Under $100: Big fruit. Big power. Big Big. The drive on this puppy is super intense and concentrated, with a dump truck-load of blackberry and black cherry fruit that lap around the palate multiple times before they even think about coming to a finish. In fact, the front and the back are pretty much indistinguishable. It’s just all there, all at once, in one indeterminate boom that comes from out of nowhere. I could just as easily say, “The finish goes on and on,” in the same breath as, “There is no finish…It’s just a rotary explosive attack that keeps blowing-up in my face over and over again.” It certainly carries an awesomeness about it, with all the wow factor and show-me muscles a Venice Beach (the Santa Monica one, not Italy) extra tight shmedium shirt wearing bench-presser could ever want.
  
  I’d be curious how this evolves over the next 5+ years. Does it blow itself to pieces and leave a giant hole in the ground, or does its boom morph into a flourishing wave of glorious thunder at some point? Whether this will turn out to be a well-oiled kick butt machine or just a colossal blast with heavy casualties remains to be seen.
  
  I wasn’t familiar with this wine (I knew of Kenzo but not the Asuka Cabernet Franc). This could have been a Syrah from the south side of Mercury as far as I was concerned. I was just more shell-shocked by this wine than I was mad at it. It gets your juices flowing; that’s for sure. Hold, and hope that the volley of fruit-missiles develops beyond a simple bombardment of flavor and power.

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  10/1/2019 - bookert wrote: 90 Points

  Lots of sun in this cab franc, I prefer the fresher and aromatic French style

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