2022 Karo-Kann Cabernet Franc Napa Valley

Cabernet Franc is Napa’s secret weapon, and winemakers around the valley know it.

It’s the signature of wines like Dalla Valle’s $500 Maya and Favia’s $250 Cerro Sur, and it’s the grace note that elevates a slew of other $200 wines from good to great. That’s made the tricky-to-farm Franc more expensive than Cabernet Sauvignon when Napa wineries are looking to buy grapes.

Top wineries—even ones that are not known for Cab Franc—vinify the grape, knowing it’ll add a je ne sais quoi to their triple-digit Cabs and red blends. That means there are often a few barrels of Cabernet Franc left after blending is done in the most prestigious cellars in Napa—names we can’t even hint at here.

The 2022 Karo-Kann Cabernet Franc is from one of those opportunities: A mere four barrels from a winery you’d never suspect we’d have access to. From a sought-after benchland vineyard, it’s ruby red, with bold, effusive aromatics, and a full, ripe body that features Franc’s signature lithe tannins on the palate—EXACTLY what we’re looking for.

Cab Franc is still a rarity. Accounting for less than 3% of the plantings in Napa Valley, it’s represented in smaller amounts than Zinfandel, which is on the Napa Valley endangered species list. 

Luckily, the estates that are making Cabernet Franc are dedicated to doing it right—the stakes are too high for the very best wineries. And when we started hunting around, we started at the top, using our ever-thickening Rolodex to make contact at what, for our money, are the best Cab Franc producers in the Valley—even if some of them don’t even bottle a varietal Franc. And we hit paydirt with this one.

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Acidity
• Tannin

• ABV 14.90%
• 1 hour
• Now – 2030
• 100% Cabernet Franc
• Serving temperature – 60°
• Cork