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Wine Details
Price:
$29.00 per bottle
Description:
100% Cabernet Franc all from Cougar Hills Estate Vineyard in the heart of Walla Walla Valley of Washington State. Chewy currants and jammy berries, violets, herbs, pepper, and spice create a unique aroma that is so characteristic of Cabernet Franc. Leather, toast, and mature, fine-grained tannins enhance the smooth, balanced mouth feel and long finish. The 2002 growing season was typical for the Northwest. Long, warm days and cool nights gave us a fruit with exceptional maturity of flavors, deep colors, and smooth tannins. Hand harvesting, fermenting in small lots with open top fermenters, and punching down by hand yields wine that is full of fruit flavor, color, and velvety tannins. Barrel aging in a combination of American and European oak allows flavors to marry and adds complexity.
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Varietal Definition
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.
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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.
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