I started drinking wine in 2000 (legally, anyhow. ahem.)… but I really didn’t branch out for years. I drank almost exclusively Merlot, a little Cabernet Sauvignon here and there, and then I discovered Pinot Noir.
Blah blah blah, years pass where I believe Pinot Noir is all there is to wine.
On a trip to Napa Valley’s Oak Knoll / Stag’s Leap / Yountville areas several years back, some friends insisted that we stop at Trefethen Family Vineyards, a place I’d not only never been to, but that I’d never heard of.
“Oh, you’ll have to try the Cab Franc,” I was told.
The Cab Whatnow? I thought “Cabernet” and “Sauvignon” were inseparable, like Tango & Cash. Little did I know.
I’m not sure which vintage of the Trefethen Cabernet Franc I first tried on that fateful trip (I want to say the 2002 or 2003), but this 2006 met my nostalgic expectations. That simply isn’t easy.
The wine is a very deep ruby red, but still shows off a real red, not purple or “black” look. The nose shows a hint of red raspberry, but the overwhelming notes are of a more rustic nature. Coffee, chocolate, and tobacco notes dance around the glass.
There isn’t a lot of fruit on the palate. The Franc entices with a dry tightness that I liked a lot. The major flavor notes were the tobacco from the nose, and a black pepper spice that threatened to overwhelm, but, well, didn’t. Freakin' awesome after all these years.
Verdict: 92/100