Adventures in Wine > Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
According to Oz Clarke, Cabernet Franc is the original Cabernet grape, not its more famous namesake Cabernet Sauvignon. On its own it features in the Loire Valley, where it can produce some lovely leafy reds from Chinon and Bourgeuil. In Bordeaux though it tends to feature alongside Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Increasingly though, Cabernet Franc is also appearing in California, New Zealand, Chile, Canada and Australia.
Buty (and BEAST)
Winery: Buty (and BEAST)
Region: Washington
Sub-region: Walla Walla
Chardonnay
Columbia Rediviva
Merlot/Cabernet Franc
Rediviva of the Stones
Sémillon, Sauvignon & Muscadelle
BEAST Riesling Sphinx
BEAST Red Wildebeest
Buty and BEAST wines are unified by the people who produce them. They both possess an extraordinary texture, structured backbone, focus on lovely fruit, and a balance of approachability and ability to age.
Buty is the first Northwest winery to create focused blends of cabernet sauvignon and syrah. The Rediviva blends marry cabernet sauvignon’s intensity and syrah’s complexity. Rediviva of the Stones favors syrah and is grown in the cobblestones of the ancestral Walla Walla riverbed in the southern part of the Walla Walla Valley. The Rockgarden Estate will become the exclusive source of Rediviva of the Stones, and will be certified organic. Columbia Rediviva is a cabernet sauvignon centric wine and is grown at Phinny Hill Vineyard. Phinny Hill Vineyard is also transitioning to organic status. This fantastic site provides vistas down on to the famous Champoux Vineyard and across the Horse Heaven Hills.
The two Rediviva wines are named for the sloop Captain Robert Gray piloted up the Columbia River in 1792. He hoped the river would prove to be the Northwest Passage, and so bestowed on it the name of his ship, Columbia Rediviva. Prior to this voyage, she was the first American ship to circumnavigate the globe. As the river that connects all of the vineyards we work with at Buty, the Columbia is a lifeline we honor as the namesake of our Columbia Rediviva wine.
BEAST is the irresistible alter-ego. With BEAST there are no rules. Buty creates what they feel compelled to make each year. With BEAST they present new varietals, new vineyards, or showcase an intriguing wine outside of the Buty portfolio. Sometimes a wily BEAST will tantalize you only once, and sometimes it may appear again unexpectedly. Keep a watchful eye out for the annual Halloween release. Some years an unruly BEAST refuses to stay in hibernation past April Fool’s. Be aware. You’ll want to make acquaintance with these exclusive creations before it’s too late.
Categories: Beast, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Columbia, Merlot, Muscadelle, Rediviva, Riesling, Sauvignon, Semillon, Sphinx, Wildebeest
Chateau Cap de Merle
Winery: Chateau Cap de Merle
Region: Bordeaux
Sub-region: Lussac St.-Emilion
Cap de Merle
Chateau Cap de Merle is a delicious St-Emilion that represents excellent value. Owners and winemakers Alain and Jean-Marie Bel use no wood in vinifying Cap de Merle, so the pure, rich, spicy Merlot fruit come through directly upon tasting. The winery’s excellent plateau vineyards on clay and sandstone soils assures optimal ripeness of fruit and supple tannins. The Merlot and Cabernet are vinified separately, and are assembled in the spring. Cap de Merle is a lush, round, balanced wine with notes of dark fruit, plums, and chocolate. The wine is meant to be enjoyed young (3-4 years after the vintage) but it can also be cellared for up to 10 years. Cap de Merle is a most versatile and enjoyable St-Emilion. Since it comes from the Lussac area, just outside St-Emilion itself, Cap de Merle represents exceptional value in Merlot-based Bordeaux. Chateau Cap de Merle is a fine match for London Broil with sautéed mushrooms, roast veal and pork and Cajun cuisine.
Categories: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Chateau Grimard
Winery: Chateau Grimard
Region: Bordeaux
Sub-region: Pomerol
Bordeaux
Chateau Grimard is a small, three generation-old family estate located in the commune of Lugon, just outside the Fronsac region on the right-bank of Bordeaux. The vineyard lies on a south-east slope, which is ideal for attaining full ripeness. The vines have an average age of 25 years. Chateau Grimard is a classic Bordeaux, offering a deep red-purple color, a lush bouquet, and ripe plummy-cassis fruit with good structure. It is a wine with more definition and character than most other petite chateaux, which is in part due to the excellent location of the property, where the Merlot grape thrives in the area’s clay soils. Chateau Grimard is vinified and matured in stainless steel tanks to ensure that it gives immediate pleasure at the table. It is a versatile, food-friendly wine that can be enjoyed with fowl and red meat dishes.
Categories: Cabernet Franc, Merlot
Yorkville Cellars
Winery: Yorkville Cellars
Region: California
Sub-region: Mendocino
CERTIFIED ORGANICALLY GROWN WINES
Richard the Lion-Heart
Hi-Rollr Red
Petit Verdot
Merlot
Malbec
Cabernet Sauvignon
Sauvignon Blanc
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Sémillon
Rosé de Franc
Yorkville Cellars is located in Mendocino County, just 100 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The vineyards are on average 1000 feet above sea level, surrounded by other vineyards, sheep ranches and apple and peach orchards. At the bottom of the vineyard is a redwood forest which yields to the spectacular Mendocino coastline. The winery is quite small and produces fewer than 1000 cases of each varietal. No pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers are used in the production of Yorkville Cellars wines; the winery has been certified organic since 1986.
Categories: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon