Alexander Valley Vineyards Cabernet Franc 2019

The Cabernet Franc is a dark purple, ruby colored wine with aromas of black cherry, plum, blueberry, vanilla and a slight floral quality. There are textured flavors of plum, black cherry, cranberry, vanilla, blueberry and cassis. This is a silky wine with balanced acidity along with long structured finish.

Alexander Valley Vineyards Estate Cabernet Franc is 100% Cabernet Franc. Many think of this varietal only as a blending grape, but early on we realized that our Cabernet Franc was exceptional on its own and started bottling a few cases of the 1996 vintage for the tasting room. While we only farm 14 acres of Cabernet Franc, it is always one of our most anticipated releases. Although the weather was a bit cooler than usual early in the 2019 growing season, there were no unusual temperature swings during bud break or flowering. Moderate temperatures continued through the summer, allowing the grapes to mature gradually. After 2018’s record setting crop size, 2019 swung back to an average yield. After harvest the grapes were fermented in our smaller tanks resulting in good extraction and concentrated flavors. Pump-overs occurred twice daily for two weeks and then the wine was aged in French oak barrels for sixteen months. The French oak adds nice tannin to the mid-palate, while the vanilla and spice from the barrels complement the dark berry flavors.