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Southbrook Cabernet Franc - Watson Vineyard

Southbrook Cabernet Franc - Watson Vineyard Wine Details
Price: $24.95 per bottle

Description: This wine is made from Cabernet Franc grapes, all from the Watson Vineyard in Niagara-on-the-Lake. This Cabernet Franc displays classic characteristics, similar to the great wines from the Loire Valley in France. This wine displays a brilliant hue and a deep red/purple colour. Concentrated cranberry aromas are softened by coffee aromas arising from barrel aging. The mouthfeel is silky but firm, with ripe mouth coating tannins. Fresh raspberry flavours persist through the (seemingly never-ending) finish. This wine is a classic match for roasted leg of lamb, but also works well with spicy tomato based sauces. Drink up to nine years after vintage date.

Varietal Definition
Cabernet Sauvignon:
Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted and significant among the five dominant varieties in France’s Bordeaux region, as well as the most successful red wine produced in California. Though it was thought to be an ancient variety, recent genetic studies at U.C. Davis have determined that Cabernet Sauvignon is actually the hybrid offspring of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Cabernet Sauvignon berries are small with black, thick and very tough skin. This toughness makes the grapes fairly resistant to disease and spoilage and able to withstand some autumn rains with little or no damage. It is a mid to late season ripener. These growth characteristics, along with its flavor appeal have made Cabernet Sauvignon one of the most popular red wine varieties worldwide.
Cabernet Franc:
Cabernet Franc is an accessible, spicy, herbal, dark blue grape variety that is often compared to Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Franc tends to be softer and has less tannin than Cabernet Sauvignon, although the two can be difficult to distinguish. Sometimes the French refer to Cabernets, which could mean either of the two grapes. Its typical aromas include an herbaceous and pronounced peppery nose, even in ripe fruit, and something eerily like tobacco. The Cabernet Franc ripens at an earlier stage, which gives it reason to exist in the Bordeaux area. In the Loire, where we find it a lot, it gives a clear red fresh and fruity wine.
Niagara:
A native American grape varietal, the Niagara is often referred to as the "white Concord." Widely grown in New York, it is a popular table wine, vinified in a slightly sweet style, though the best producers tend to minimize its inherent foxy (a unique aroma/flavor profile variously described as wild and musky) qualities.


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