Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
Zisola 2010 Doppiozeta Noto Rosso DOC
Italian Red
The wine is deep ruby in colour, with dark fruit, coffee, tobacco and spice, while smooth tannins accompany layered flavour. The blend is sixty-five percent Nero d'Avola, twenty-five percent Syrah and ten percent Cabernet Franc. Bush-trained vines grow at 130 metres on calcareous soils with southeast exposure. The grapes are gently pressed and macerated for about two weeks, then fermented at 28–30°C and matured for sixteen months in barriques.
Château Lafleur du Roy 2019 Pomerol
French Red
Merlot forms eighty-five percent of the blend, with ten percent Cabernet Franc and five percent Cabernet Sauvignon. Red berries, raspberry, cassis, truffle, liquorice, sweet spice, vanilla, nutmeg, tobacco, cocoa, black cherry and mineral notes are present. The texture is velvety and the tannins are melted. Hand-harvested fruit ferments in temperature-controlled stainless steel before fifteen to eighteen months in French oak, one-third new.
Château Laffitte Carcasset 2016 Saint-Estèphe
French Red
Black fruit, red plum and cedar appear with a woody texture. The tannins are pleasant, and the wine has concentration and harmony. Its ruby colour, delicate fruit and toast sit with a structured palate that is not aggressive. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc form the blend. The Saint-Estèphe red spends twelve months in oak barrels.
Château Ormes de Pez 2019 Saint-Estèphe
French Red
Purplish garnet colour accompanies fresh blackberry and blackcurrant. The texture is velvety, with well-rounded tannins and toasted notes from barrel maturation. The blend is fifty percent Merlot, forty percent Cabernet Sauvignon, seven percent Cabernet Franc and three percent Petit Verdot. Fruit was hand picked and sorted in the vineyard. Maturation lasted sixteen months in French oak, including forty-five percent new wood.
Poggio al Tesoro 2021 Il Seggio Bolgheri Rosso
Italian Red
Fresh, crisp fruit, mineral and spice notes accompany red berries in a medium-bodied profile with silky, enveloping tannins and a clean, lively finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot are fermented separately in temperature-controlled stainless steel. Maturation lasts fifteen months in French oak barriques, thirty percent new, followed by at least six months in bottle.
Viña Arboleda 2018 Brisa
Chilean Red
Raspberry, blackcurrant leaf, savoury black fruit, rosemary and dried herbs appear with bright acidity. The finish is soft and somewhat dry, with pepper and balsamic notes. The blend is 36% Syrah, 24% Grenache, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 8% Mourvèdre. Maturation lasts twenty-two months in French oak barrels; 38% are new, and 15% of the wine matures in foudres.
Domaine de l’Écu 2018 Rex
French Red
Fresh strawberry, cherry and raspberry notes are present with supple tannins, and the finish is spicy. Cabernet Franc and Gamay form the blend. The wine is classified as 100 percent Natural and made without added sulphites. Total sulphites are 15 mg/L. This red comes from France's Loire Valley and carries the Vin de France designation.
Brendan Stater-West 2022 Saumur Rouge
French Red
Cabernet Franc from young vines in the La Ripaille parcel shows redcurrant, pomegranate and earth, with mushroom, spice and humus also present. The fruit is fresh, the texture silky and the tannins fine. The vines grow on clay-limestone soils, and the wine has medium structure; suggested serving temperature is 16°C. Pairings include red meat, white meat, veal, sausage and cheese.
La Chapelle de Potensac 2018 Médoc
French Red
Blackcurrant, redcurrant, green tobacco, cedar and spring flowers form the aromatic profile. The palate is medium-bodied, supple and harmonious, with light tannins, a round, balanced texture and a fresh finish. The blend is seventy percent Merlot, twenty-five percent Cabernet Sauvignon and five percent Cabernet Franc. Raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, liquorice, nutmeg and dried almond provide further detail.
Château du Hureau 2017 Lisagathe Saumur-Champigny
French Red
Cabernet Franc comes from old vines rooted in clay and sand over Turonian limestone. Harvesting is by hand, followed by sorting and complete destemming. Maceration lasts twenty-five to thirty-five days, and malolactic fermentation takes place in tank. The wine matures for eighteen to twenty-four months in foudres and barrels. Its profile combines depth and power with finesse.
Trefethen 2021 Eshcol Red Oak Knoll District
American Red
Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for fifty-one percent of the blend, with Malbec at twenty-three percent, Merlot and Petit Verdot at twelve percent each, and Cabernet Franc at two percent. Raspberry and Bing cherry appear with leather and liquorice. Dark fruit and black pepper are also present. The finish is balanced and smooth. Fruit comes entirely from the Main Ranch estate vineyard, and maturation lasts fourteen months.
Phantom Creek Estates 2020 Becker Vineyard Cuvée
Canadian Red
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc form the blend. Kirsch, plum and spiced blackberry appear with dried sage, dark chocolate, cedar and oak. The profile is full-bodied and balanced, with fruit weight and a long finish. The historic vineyard lies on the Black Sage Bench. Higher spring rainfall and mild temperatures were followed by hot, dry conditions through harvest. Smaller berries contributed concentrated flavours and elevated tannins.
Hillside Winery 2017 Mosaic Naramata Bench
Canadian Red
The blend is thirty-three percent Merlot, twenty-five percent Cabernet Franc, eighteen percent Malbec, seventeen percent Cabernet Sauvignon and seven percent Petit Verdot. It matures for eighteen months in French oak, forty-two percent new. The tannins are mostly dispersed, leaving a silky, dry texture. The fruit comes from vineyards on Naramata Bench in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley.
Chateau Lynch-Bages 2020 Pauillac
French Red
The blend is sixty percent Cabernet Sauvignon, thirty-one percent Merlot, five percent Petit Verdot and four percent Cabernet Franc. Grapes are picked and sorted by hand. Maturation lasts eighteen months in French oak, seventy-five percent new. Sun-ripened fruit appears with freshness, good acidity and ripe, powerful tannins. The vineyards lie on Garonne gravel, and the wine contains thirteen point four one percent alcohol.
Piaggia 2017 Carmignano Riserva DOCG
Italian Red
Raspberry and strawberry appear with dark ruby and garnet colour. The palate is dense, with a melting texture and a long finish. Sangiovese is joined by Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The fruit comes from an old vineyard at Piaggia, about 250 metres above sea level, with southwest exposure and clay and galestro soils. Grapes are harvested by hand and selected in small boxes. Fermentation is spontaneous, and skin maceration lasts eighteen to twenty-eight days.
Ampeleia 2018 Cabernet Franc Toscana IGT
Italian Red
Dark cherry and blackberry appear with mint, herbs, cassis, dark chocolate, liquorice, black pepper, coffee and forest berries. The tannins are fine and round, and the finish is long with stone and mineral notes. Cabernet Franc grows between 450 and 600 metres on clay-limestone soils. Maturation includes twelve months in wood and concrete and two years in bottle. The grapes are grown organically and biodynamically.
Ampeleia 2019 Cabernet Franc Toscana IGT
Italian Red
Black cherry and dark mulberry appear with sandalwood, vetiver, black pepper, allspice, thyme and black cardamom. Firm, tactile tannins accompany a long, cool finish. Cabernet Franc grows on clay, stone and limestone soils at Roccatederighi. The wine ferments spontaneously with fifteen percent whole clusters and spends two to three weeks on the skins. It matures for six months in concrete, six months in wood and two years in bottle.
Domaine Calvez-Bobinet 2016 Greta Carbo Saumur-Champigny
French Red
Cabernet Franc comes from a small single parcel whose vines produce unevenly sized berries. Carbonic maceration is used for the grapes and gives the wine its particular identity. The texture is silky, with vegetal, fruit and pepper notes and a delicate palate. It is a red from Saumur-Champigny in the Loire Valley and contains twelve and a half percent alcohol.
Domaine Guiberteau 2021 Saumur Rouge
French Red
Cabernet Franc comes from three old-vine parcels with silty and sandy topsoils over limestone. The vines were planted in the mid-1950s. Grapes are fully destemmed, fermented in concrete with indigenous yeast and matured for twelve months in a large conical wooden vat. Sour cherry, blackberry and raspberry appear with bell pepper, earth, violets and flint. The palate has fresh acidity and fine tannins, with a mineral and herbal finish.
Black Hills 2022 Nota Bene Okanagan Valley
Canadian Red
Dewberry, black cherry, herbal notes and floral lift are joined by redcurrant, sweet mint and raspberry blossom. The palate is rich and fresh, with fine-grained tannins. The blend is forty-six percent Merlot, thirty-six percent Cabernet Sauvignon and eighteen percent Cabernet Franc. Wild yeasts conduct fermentation, and ageing lasts eighteen months in French-oak barriques and puncheons, forty-seven percent new. Alcohol is fourteen and a half percent.
Concha y Toro 2019 Gravas del Maipo Cabernet Sauvignon Puente Alto
Chilean Red
Deep red colour is accompanied by fresh red-fruit and spice aromas. The palate has intensity and depth, with fine, velvety tannins. The blend is eighty-six percent Cabernet Sauvignon, ten percent Cabernet Franc and four percent Merlot. Grapes come from the Puente Alto Vineyard at 650 metres, where soils are rocky, alluvial, deep and poor in nutrients. Fermentation lasts eight days in stainless steel, followed by ten days of post-fermentation maceration and fourteen months in French oak.
Montes 2020 Wings Carménère Apalta
Chilean Red
Deep red colour has purple undertones. Blackberry and blueberry are joined by bell pepper, black pepper and sweet French-oak notes. The rounded palate is smooth, with a long finish. The blend is eighty-five percent Carménère and fifteen percent Cabernet Franc. Fruit comes from hillside blocks at the Apalta estate in the Colchagua Valley. Ageing lasts sixteen months in French oak, with eighty percent new barrels. Alcohol is fourteen and a half percent.
Cakebread Cellars 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
American Red
Fresh smoky cassis, blackberry and boysenberry appear with cedar, black-tea spice and sweet oak. The palate is concentrated, with black fruit, firm structure and a long savoury finish. The blend is seventy-eight percent Cabernet Sauvignon, sixteen percent Merlot, four percent Cabernet Franc and two percent Malbec. Fermentation took place in stainless steel, followed by twenty months in French oak, thirty-five percent new. Alcohol is 14.2 percent.
Nittardi 2020 Ad Astra Maremma Toscana Rosso DOC 1.5 L
Italian Red
Plum and red-berry aromas are joined by liquorice. The blend combines Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel, followed by twelve months in French-oak barriques and tonneaux and several months in concrete. The vineyards lie at Mongibello delle Mandorlaie in southern Maremma, on predominantly sandy soils rich in limestone and clay.
Fairview Cellars 2011 The Bear Okanagan Valley
Canadian Red
Medium ruby-purple colour accompanies ripe cherry and liquorice. The wine is dry, with medium-plus acidity and full, ripe tannins. Cherry, plum, cassis, spice and tobacco appear, with a long finish. Cabernet Sauvignon leads the blend, joined by Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Mint, blackcurrant and spicy cherry are also present. Production totalled three hundred cases.
CedarCreek 2013 Platinum The Last Word
Canadian Red
Dark liquorice, black cherry, cooked plum and graphite appear across the profile. Cassis, wild blackberry, spice-box notes and anise are also present, with bright acidity, structurally sound tannins and a warm finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec were co-fermented for one month. The blend then spent twenty months in French oak. The fruit comes from Osoyoos in the Okanagan Valley.
Château Labégorce 2019 Margaux
French Red
Black cherry, bilberry, light cedar and crushed violet form the aromatic profile. The medium-bodied palate has fine tannins, a satin-like texture and acidity. Currant, berry, citrus and chocolate are also present. The blend is forty-six percent Merlot, forty percent Cabernet Sauvignon, nine percent Cabernet Franc and five percent Petit Verdot. Fruit was picked from September nineteenth to October twelfth, and maturation used forty percent new oak.
Château Cantemerle 2022 Haut-Médoc
French Red
Bright fresh fruit and violet are present in the bouquet. The palate has soft tannins, creamy structure and a smooth texture, with harmony and balance. The blend is seventy percent Cabernet Sauvignon, twenty percent Merlot, and five percent each Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The wine matures for twelve months in French oak, using new, one-fill and two-fill barrels. The vines grow on gravel with quaternary silica.
Mvemve Raats 2014 MR de Compostella
South African Red
Green herbs, peppercorn, laurel, blackcurrant leaf and plum skin are present. Ripe plum and berry flavours accompany fine tannins with a pronounced dusty grip and a long, dry finish. The colour is deep ruby. Mineral, dark berry and dark chocolate notes are also present. Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot make up the blend.
Sequoia Grove 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
American Red
Bright black cherry, blackberry, baking spices, chocolate and toasted vanilla are present. The palate has intense blackberry flavours and round, smooth tannins. The blend is eighty-three percent Cabernet Sauvignon, eight percent Merlot, six percent Cabernet Franc, and one percent each Syrah, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Grapes are hand-picked and the berries hand-sorted. A one-to-three-day cold soak precedes fermentation. Maturation lasts twenty months in French oak, half new.