2018 Estate Cabernet Franc
The soil profile on the Wahluke Slope is a thin layer of loamy fine sand on top of a deep layer of gravelly glacial outwash. The resulting wines are deeply concentrated and complex. The 2018 Cabernet Franc shows this concentration and complexity well into the finish.
90 points Wine Enthusiast
Bright masserated strawberry, fresh oak
Pick decisions are based equally on grape juice chemistry (Brix/pH/TA), as well as flavor and physical maturity of the grapes. Harvested early in the morning, the hand-picked grapes are promptly delivered to the winery for immediate processing. Whole-cluster sorted to remove any material other than grapes (MOG), before being destemmed and lightly crushed into 1-ton fermenters. The must is allowed to rest for 24 hours before inoculation with a selected yeast strain. The must is gently punched-down twice daily to ensure proper phenolic extraction. When fermentation is nearly complete the free-run wine is pumped directly into a combination of French and American oak barrels (225L). Barrel aged 22 months, followed by another year in bottle before release.
Our Cabernet Franc block (planted in 2000) is located on the Northwest corner of our Estate Riverbend Vineyard.
| Varietal | Cabernet Franc |
| Varietal Composition | 90% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 2% Syrah |
| Appellation | Wahluke Slope |
| Vineyard | Estate Riverbend Vineyard |
| Alcohol | 15.80% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Bottling Date | 08/2020 |
| Cases Produced | 343 |
90 points Wine Enthusiast
Estate Riverbend Vineyard
