International Cabernet Franc Day Blind Tasting Event
For this prestigious day, thanks to Michael & Lori Budd who originated this day for Cabernet Franc, we held a private tasting event last evening. Each participant brought an appetizer and a bottle of Cabernet Franc of their choice. Each wine arrived covered and no hint of what wine was being served. In the advance paperwork, a listing of cheeses, meats and other items were offered as complimentary to this varietal and brought by those attending. I also provided a few bottles from the cellar. This was a pseudo-serious event with tasting lasting approximately two hours. Each person (or couple) would provide input based upon an outlined scoresheet, information, etc., sent in advance. The summary at the bottom of the page was set up to arrive at an “Objective Rating” which represented the profile of this noble grape. Additionally each participant would provide a “Subjective Rating” based on their preferred taste.
Wines range from far and wide when revealed. They hailed from Argentina, California —-Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, San Benito County, Livermore Valley, Calaveras County, Amador County, Napa Valley and Washington. In the end no two bottles were from the same winery. The years ranged from 2012 to 2017. Not necessarily a far comparison by vintage, but no requirements were given.
The top four wines that were deemed “objectively” to be in line with the varietal profile were:
#1 – 2016 Monteagrelo, from Mendoza, Argentina. This wine retails for $28.99 and available at The Wine Steward, Pleasanton, Calif. https://thewinesteward.com
#2 tied – 2014 Titus Vineyards, from Napa Valley, California. This wine retails for $54.00 for their current release. www.titusvineyards.com
#2 tied – 2015 Crocker & Starr, from St Helena, Napa Valley, California. This wine retails for $90.00 for their current release. https://www.crockerstarr.com/
#3 – 2012 Leal Vineyards, Dos Almas Vineyard, from Hollister, San Benito County, California. The wine retails for $52.00. http://www.liveloveleal.com/
Note: by .05 points, the 2016 Wood Family Vineyard’s http://woodfamilyvineyards.com/ at $32 placed behind Leal Vineyards.
The top four wines that were deemed “subjectively” to be in line with each raters taste profiles were:
#1 – 2015 Crocker & Starr, from St Helena, Napa Valley, California. This wine retails for $90.00 for their current release. https://www.crockerstarr.com/
#2 – 2016 Dracaena Wines, from Paso Robles, California. This wine retails for $34.00. https://dracaenawines.com
#3 –2013 Val du Vino, from Murphys, Calaveras County, California. This varietal is currently not offered. https://www.valduvinowinery.com
#4 — 2016 Monteagrelo, from Mendoza, Argentina. This wine retails for $28.99 and available at The Wine Steward, Pleasanton, Calif. https://thewinesteward.com
In total eleven wines were tasted and rated this last evening. The tasting portion was paired with various appetizers, deserts and chocolates. The pre-event reading and paperwork was fairly extensive, requiring diligence and a key discernment of each wine tasted. I thank those who participated and believe all who did enjoy their time and conversations.
Slainte,
https://californiawinesandwineries.com
Note: If you would like your wine to be included in next years’ event, please contact me at mkellywine@gmail.com
California Wines & Wineries 
December 5, 2018 at 9:42 pm
Thank you so much Michael for all of your support if Dracaena Wines and Cab Franc Day. And once again highly impressed at how quickly you were able to put the post together. I would be very interested in seeing the tasting notes if you wouldn’t mind sharing. I’m glad Can Franc Day have you a reason to enjoy some good wine and share it with friends!
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