While the flavors are definitely Cabernet Franc, this texture is reminiscent of Pinot Noir, and you can see why we believe this grape does best as a varietal wine when it is unencumbered by new oak and long aging. The result is a wine that is both graceful in stature and compelling in detail, walking a fine line between subtlety and complexity. The aromas are a mingling of red and black fruits with rosemary, forest mushrooms and black pepper. The fruit/savory play continues on the palate, which is rich with persistent, ripe tannins and subtle acidity. This wine demands that you both engage its aromatic offering and pour yourself another glass.

We like to say our approach to Cabernet Franc is more Burgundy than Bordeaux, meaning we look for silky rather than tannic structure and favor the aromatic potential of the grape over the flavor of the barrel. In 2010, this was as true as it ever was. While the flavors are definitely Cabernet Franc, this texture is reminiscent of Pinot Noir, and you can see why we believe this grape does best as a varietal wine when it is unencumbered by new oak and long aging. The result is a wine that is both graceful in stature and compelling in detail, walking a fine line between subtlety and complexity.

At the foot of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, nature is at once graceful and fierce. Early Mountain wines are made here through a combination of ingenuity and true grit. We gently tend to every vine so the wine that emerges from the cellar is a clear descendant of the fruit at harvest — a unique wine that respects its heritage while embracing evolution and adventure. Virginian through and through.

Varietal: Cabernet France

Region: Virginia