2023 Cabernet Franc

With a precise balance of ripe fruit and savory spice, the 2023 Cabernet Franc is everything we hoped for and more. The introduction is laden with fresh violets, raspberries, and wild blueberries. Even as the fruit lingers, delicate aromas of dried rosemary and fresh thyme are pushing in from the edges, refusing to be denied. The balance of these elements makes for a nuanced transition that seems to circle back on itself endlessly, as each aroma jostles to be recognized. The tannins are mouth filling but pliable and relent to delightful spice notes, predominated by white pepper and red cedar, which carry this wine through its long, ambling finish. Our Cab Franc lovers will delight in this wine, while those new to it will quickly be converted. This Cab Franc has everything we want it to have for you:  plenty of upfront fruit, loads of savory typicity and a soft round texture.

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Appellation: 51% Napa County
49% Sonoma County
Vintage: 2023
Harvest: October 2023
Fermentation: Stainless Steel
Cooperage: French Oak
Blend: 91% Cabernet Franc
5% Cabernet Sauvignon
2% Merlot
2% Petit Verdot
Alcohol: 14.6%
Bottling: April 2025
Production: 1631 cases
Release Date: August 2025
Release Price: $90.00

Reviews

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  • JamesSuckling.com: Feb 03, 2026 - Rating: 95

    Perfumed, with aromas of blood plums, black olives, dark cherries, dried herbs, violets, licorice and some umami. The palate is plush and fruit-driven, with fine tannins and a juicy, mouthwatering mid-palate. There is so much freshness, texture and finesse, with no hard edges. Delicious now, but can hold. Drink or hold.
     
    Ryan Montgomery
    Staff Writer & Critic
  • Antonio Galloni Vinous: Napa Valley Soars: The 2023 & 2024 Cabernet Sauvignons (Nov 2025) - Rating: 94

    The 2023 Cabernet Franc is outrageously beautiful. Strong savory and spice notes drive the deep, penetrating bouquet. Quite powerful and layered, the 2023 has so much to offer. It bristles with a captivating mix of varietal character, mountain structure and a blast of Napa Valley fruit. I find it absolutely compelling. 

    -By Antonio Galloni on November 2025

  • Decanter: Nov 2025 - Rating: 94

    Tasted by: Jonathan Cristaldi
    (at Napa, California, 11 Nov 2025)
    Drinking Window: 2027 - 2037
    Includes a 2% splash of Petit Verdot. Fermented in stainless steel, using mostly free-run juice with some press lots, and aged for 15 months in 45% new French oak. Lifted, fresh, and vibrant, the wine shows subtle cedarwood nuances alongside sagebrush, bay laurel, and red berry fruit. It’s wonderfully delicious, driven by red and black fruits with cocoa powder-like tannins and subtle brown baking spices on the palate. Firm, building tannins emerge on the finish. Best enjoyed from 2027 onward, at least over the following decade.
  • Jeb Dunnuck: Jeb Dunnuck: Up From The Cellar 29 - Rating: 92

    A blend of 91% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% each of Merlot and Petit Verdot, aged 18 months in 40% new French oak, the 2023 Cabernet Franc offers ripe red and black fruits as well as classic Cabernet Franc leafy herbs, violets, and darker chocolate nuances. It's balanced and medium-bodied on the palate, with ripe tannins and terrific purity of fruit, all making for an undeniably delicious, impressive Cabernet Franc to drink over the coming 10-15 years. Drink 2026-2041.