Friday, December 4th was Cabernet Franc Day. Many grapes now have their own day to celebrate them. Cab Franc Day was started by Lori and Michael Budd. No surprise that they own a winery in Paso Robles, California, where Cab Franc is their single varietal grown. Their Dracaena Cab Franc has won numerous awards and high scores from prominent wine publications like Wine Enthusiast. You can read more about Cab Franc on Lori’s award-winning blog (details below).
I was invited by Lori Budd to participate in a Twitter Chat on Cab Franc Day and I enjoyed interacting with some stars in the Cab Franc firmament as well as some avid wine lovers. Having written about New Jersey Cab Franc previously, I wanted to highlight a couple of new discoveries for me. Having recently purchased the Dracaena Cabernet Franc 2017 and 2018, they seemed to be the obvious choices. But since my primary wine affiliation on these pages is with New Jersey wines, I wanted to choose a unique one of these, as well. I chose Unionville Vineyards Silver Lining Cabernet Franc 2019.
Dracaena Cabernet Franc
The 2017 Dracaena Cabernet Franc was the first of the three Cab Francs I enjoyed over a 24 hour period (with the help of my wife). This was a full-bodied, well-structured version. With my first sip, I was reminded of the solid structure and the 14.4 ABV). With only a minute or two in my glass, this delightful wine transformed into a lush, full-bodied Cab Franc with satiny smooth tannins, well-balanced with notes of cherry and black cherry. The color was a beautiful deep ruby. This was definitely one of the best Cab Francs I have ever had. The perfect accompaniment to our grilled steak.
The 2018 Dracaena Cabernet Franc had a very similar flavor profile and lush body, though not quite as smooth as the 2017 version. It should age well and continue to improve, though it is quite good now.
For anyone interested in learning more about Cabernet Franc, I encourage you to visit Lori’s website: dracaenawines.com. Not only is this wine great, Lori is an award winning blogger and this is her site. You can also purchase Dracaena wines here.
Unionville Vineyards Silver Lining Cabernet Franc
The Unionville Vineyards 2019 Silver Lining Cabernet Franc lived up to the predictions of the 2019 vintage being one of the best in some time. I remember this unanimous prediction from the Co-Op Portfolio members at the tasting at Beneduce Vineyards in the fall of 2019. Unionville decided that it would do a straight Cab Franc varietal and not oak this one due to the fine quality of the vintage that confirmed their predictions. I must confess I have not had many unoaked Cab Francs, but I applaud their decision and this finished product. No additions are needed to bring out the beauty of this medium-bodied version bursting with red fruit flavors. I only wish that I picked up another bottle while I was there. As you can see below, this bottle is empty! I enjoyed it acapella and also with an assortment of cheeses.
Like the Dracaena Cab Franc, Unionville Vineyards Silver Lining Cabernet Franc has also graced the pages of Wine Enthusiast a couple of months ago. It was a very nice write-up of East Coast Cab Francs and included a photo of Conor Quilty, Unionville’s winemaker.
For those of you interested in trying the Unionville Vineyards Silver Lining Cabernet Franc, I encourage you to pay them a visit in Ringoes, NJ or visit their website here: unionvillevineyards.com. I highlighted a few of their wines last week in my Thanksgiving edition, but their offerings are extensive and excellent. Since my visit they just released their latest Port-style wine, which is done “solera-style”.
Cheers!
Gift Suggestion
It’s not too late to get my book (New Jersey Uncorked) in time for Christmas, especially if you want the ebook, which is on sale now for $9.99. Go the the Apple iBook app and use the coupon code: Fall2020.
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Thank you so much David for your kind words about our Cab Franc. We are so happy that you enjoyed it and to be called one of the best Cab Francs you’ve ever had is quite a compliment! Thank you!
Lori, Thanks for hosting a great Cab Franc discussion on Twitter and for your comments here. I love writing about wine that I really enjoy and getting the chance to share these experiences with friends and readers. Your Dracaena Cab Franc is definitely one of those wines. I wish you continued success and hope my wife and I get to Paso Robles one of these days.