It’s been far too long that Cabernet Franc has been missing from the tasting room! Every weekend there are several guests asking about when we’ll have a new Cabernet Franc released. Over a year ago the 2023 vintage was released and received a Gold Medal from San Francisco International Wine Competition – selling out before the end of the year! This 2024 vintage went back-to-back earning gold again, and is finally back in the tasting room! We are delighted to make this Wine of the Month for June, considering only 6 barrels were produced.
Our friends at Avant Vineyards have long grown Cabernet Franc, and they remain one of our favorite growers of this grape to work with. The fruit is always more ripe than the varietal is traditionally seen as. This makes for a hearty red with incredible length and age ability. These two recent vintages are both great examples of Cab Franc that will stand the test of time, with the remainder of our 2023 bottles hidden in our cellar to rest for many years to come. This new vintage will one day be set aside to do the same.
Drinking now though, the 2024 vintage is excellent. We chose this wine for June not because of its ease, freshness, or airy summer style, all of which this wine certainly is not. This is a bottle to compliment that rib roast you’ve been saving for the rotisserie, the juicy brisket you smoke all day long, or those two special ribeye you saved who are begging for an open fire. Our new Cabernet Franc is a towering wine built to withstand rich meats and complement those meals only an immensely bold and powerful wine can match. There are few substitutes that will suffice for what this new 2024 will most certainly deliver on.
Aromas are black – a wall of dark fruit rises from the glass. Mature blackberry and ruby plum live in this abyss, brightened falsely by subtle flashes of sweet olive brine; classic to more elegant Francs. But this vintage is about strength and robust flavors. Your tongue meets these deep flavors of black drupes with a mouthwatering tannin, assuaged only with another sip or that complementing piece of charred meat. We enjoyed a few bottles of this recently with a grilled rib roast for the family, just before an afternoon shower was rolling in. The smell of fresh rain was in the air, contrasting the brooding weight splashing in the glass, delicious steak steaming off the plate. A perfect pairing, and one we recommend trying this summer.
We hope you enjoy this rich new Cabernet Franc! And be sure to get a few bottles before this delicious wine retreats back to the cellar for a long slumber.
Cheers!
From The Balistreri Family
Natural Wine from Balistreri Vineyards
All Balistreri Wines are made naturally with indigenous yeast, no sulfites added, and no fining or filtering. You won’t get a headache with these wines.
Read more about our natural winemaking here, and be sure to pick up a bottle online or in the winery.
Try the 2024 Cabernet Franc
Want to try this delicious Franc? Stop by the Winery for a taste of our current lineup. Make a reservation here!
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