2017 Duckhorn Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Franc
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At Duckhorn Vineyards, we have been working with Napa Valley Cabernet Franc for over a quarter century, exploring its ability to add elegance and complexity to our blends and its capacity to produce stand-alone wines of stature and sophistication. Incorporating valley floor fruit with an emphasis on older vines, low yields and warmer vineyards, our Cabernet Franc offers beautiful varietal notes of dark cherry, raspberry and red currant with hints of tobacco leaf and graphite.
Wine Profile
Production Notes
Varietal Composition: 100% Cabernet Franc
Winemaker Notes
From its fascinating floral, tobacco leaf and dark berry aromas to its firm, rich tannins and full body, this is a powerful and compelling expression of Cabernet Franc. On the palate, gorgeous layers of blackberry, fig, sassafras, graphite and cardamom are beautifully framed by an age-worthy structure, with excellent acidity adding a lovely underlying freshness to this robust, mouth-filling wine.
Production
The 2017 growing season began with abundant winter rains, followed by a warm, dry spring that led to a perfectly timed budbreak. In addition to replenishing the water table, the early season rains produced robust canopies, which provided invaluable shade during a week-long heat event that kicked harvest into gear during the last week of August. This was followed by a much-needed cooldown that allowed the vines to recuperate, while also giving us extra hangtime for flavor development and tannin resolution. We harvested throughout September and into early October, with the grapes showing lovely ripeness and quality, yielding plush, polished and wonderfully complex wines.
Wine Specs
Wine Specs
Vintage
2017
Varietal
Cabernet Franc
Appellation
Napa Valley
Acid
0.50 g/100 ml
pH
3.73
Aging
Aged 16 months 100% French oak - 50% new, 50% neutral
Alcohol %
14.5
