Description

Student Winemakers: Beth Law, Baily Weisinger. Cabernet Franc is one of our favorite blend grape varieties. It rounds out all the flavors with more bright and herbaceous perfume characteristics. This wine is tremendously pleasant and comes from our vineyard. All vines are planted, maintained, and harvested by students who put the philosophy of “winegrowing” into practice. Our student viticulturists utilize precision agriculture tools to develop irrigation and nutrition plans directly connecting grape growing to quality winemaking. Conventional, organic, and biodynamic methods utilized to teach the full spectrum of management techniques.

Wine Profile

Food Pairing Notes:

Similar to the Carmenere wine. The spicy notes and outstanding wine quality provide a wide range of food pairings. The fruit is supported by a balanced mouthfeel for Indian food, green curry, Indian-Style Stewed Greens (Sarson Ka Saag), Pasta with pesto, Mint Lamb, roasted Brussels sprouts, and green pea soup.

Production Notes:

These grapes were pressed very traditionally, commonly named "Basket Press". The Basket Press creates a type of violet cake where grapes are loaded on the top, and the students regulate the amount of pressure, commonly known as "fractionated." The wine was fermented in Neutral & New Oak French barrels to balance and integrate the flavors into this wine.

Tasting Notes:

From the vine to the glass, this Cabernet Franc wine is spicy with perfumes of intense red cherries, huckleberries, and hints of a peppery finish. This wine is red fruit forward, herbal with peppery earthiness. The tannins are moderate and persistent with a vibrant finish on the back of the palate.

Vintage Notes:

The 2019 vintage had colder climate conditions, and overall, temperatures were above 20-year averages but were nowhere near as warm as the years that Walla Walla Valley had it recently. Frosts and freezes in early to mid-October when these grapes were hand-picked carefully.