1999 Cabernet Franc

1999 Cabernet Franc

The Cabernet franc variety greatly benefits from a long even ripening season such as that of the 1999 vintage. Ripe blueberry and green tea aromas seem to dance from the glass. An underlying cocoa element unfolds in the rich middle on the palate. 25% Merlot was blended with the Cabernet franc to provide additional layers of texture and to augment the delicious berry flavors. Fine tannins in the finish provide just enough grip.

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Appellation: Sonoma County
Vintage: 1999
Harvest: October 1999
Fermentation: Stainless Steel
Cooperage: French Oak
Blend: 75% Cabernet Franc
25% Merlot
Alcohol: 14.1%
Bottling: April 2001
Production: 831 cases
Release Date: May 2001
Release Price:

Reviews

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  • Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar: May/June 2001 - Rating: 91-94

    Full ruby, not as purple as the merlot. Blackberry, violet minerals, mint and bitter chocolate on the nose. Great sappy, penetrating fruit; less fleshy than the merlot but dense and lively. Tannins really spread out and expand on the aftertaste. ($52.00 a dollop of merlot will probably be added).

  • Wine & Spirits: October 2001 - Rating: 94

    Grown on the west-facing, Sonoma slopes of Pride's mountain vineyard, this cabernet franc has reached an essential ripeness. It's gone beyond any green elements to darker berry fruit - blueberry and black currant - taking on the glorious texture this variety can provide given the right opportunity. It buzzes with freshness, the ripe tannins slowly giving way to all the fruit in the center, but not yet giving up all the activity at the edges. Those Edges hum with energy, unbound by the wine's impressive weight, waiting to yield more distinctive expressions out of the clay-like tannin as the wine develops with age. An eloquent statement of cabernet franc in the New World, it would be fascinating to pour this at dinner with a franc-centric vintage of Pomerol's Vieux Chateau Certan when both are mature

  • The Wine Advocate: June 29, 2002 - Rating: 94

    Pride Mountain does an amazing job with Cabernet Franc. They somehow achieve superb flavor and aromatic intensity without the weight one would expect from a wine so rich and full. The terrific, extremely textured 1999 Cabernet Franc boasts a floral and black fruit-scented nose with an underlying mineral/earthiness. The wine is medium to full-bodied with an ethereal sense of lightness. The finish goes on and on. There is plenty of sweet tannin to go along with the copious fruit and extract. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2018.