Matthiasson Cabernet Franc 2022 750ml

Cabernet Franc is particularly representative of the site where it is grown; at its best, it is delicate, intriguing, and challenging to understand. Beguiling. We are in the sunny Napa Valley, and we know that the wine will have beautiful fruit flavors, so we focus entirely on the mineral and herbal aspects of its character and end up with a wine that somehow manages to be both delicate yet powerful, aromatic, long, and with an ethereal lightness. It’s a uniquely different expression of Cabernet Franc than one usually finds in the new or the old world, informed by the wines of Chinon, but something remarkable in and of itself — a bold representation of the terroir of our Napa vineyard, showing a restrained side of Napa that one rarely sees.

The Cabernet Franc has distinct aromas of dry leaves in the fall, poblano chili peppers, and sage, with plummy fruit. The tannins are silky in the mouth, with an iron-like minerality on the finish. It’s light on the palate but at the same time firm —it’s a wine with many contradictions that is hard to describe with tasting notes. Easy drinking, but incredibly complex. Great with food.

• Country: United States
• Region: California
• Appellation: Napa Valley
• Size: 750ml
• Color: Red

Varietal

Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Franc is not simply an important grape varietal for the fact that it is one of the most widely grown strains of vine in the world, but also because it is a vital grape in the production of many of the finest wines the world has ever seen. For centuries in its native France, it has been a varietal synonymous with elegance and high quality, and has become a key fruit in the production of the Bordeaux and Bordeaux-style blended wines which have gone down in history thanks to their magnificent flavors, aromas and levels of aged complexity. However, Cabernet Franc is also a wine grape varietal for use in single variety, unblended wines, and has plenty to offer on its own. Most commonly, it is renowned for its wide bouquet, which often includes fascinating notes of tobacco, violets or bell pepper over a beautifully pale and decadent liquid.