2022 Wood Family Vineyards Cabernet Franc – Another Sure Bet!
The Winery
Photo from Wood Family Vineyards website
Wood Family Vineyards, located in eastern Livermore Valley with Rhonda Wood owner & winemaker, has been producing award winning wines for over two decades. You can read more on her background from airline pilot to award winning winemaker at:
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2016/02/10/wood-family-vineyards-2
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
I have developed a chart below to visually comprehend the relative merits of the wine being reviewed. First is a simple definition which each could have it own story, but for brevity I simply listed a few points.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Definitions:
Color/Clarity: Does it feature the “standard color” for this type of wine, unique color or sub-standard color for the grape varietal. Some wines are unfiltered and unfined, so that has to be taken into account.
Aroma: When that first aroma wafts into the senses, is it flowers, perfume, berries, etc. Is it pleasant or harsh? Does it beckon you to take that first sip?
Balance: Fruit verses acidity/tannins. Think of a tight rope walker with too much in one direction they will be unbalanced. Same with oak treatment imparting too much tannins and overwhelming the wine.
Complexity: Excellent wines are complex, with multi-layered flavors and subtleties. As the wine reaches different temperatures, does it change it’s profile? Many commercial wines are monotone or flat.
Terroir/Sense of Place & Time: Does the wine reflect the area that it is grown? Easy examples are Cabernet Sauvignon having “Rutherford dust” or an Albariño having a slight salinity from Portugal. Is it typical from the region?
Finish: Key is how long the taste sensation lingers on the palate and the intensity of the flavor. Key is the duration be in short (sub-standard) or elongated (excellent).
Price Point/Value: The range of pricing can vary greatly. Key is the value for the dollar in a comparison of like quality wine varietal from a given area. It is not fair to rate a French Montrachet Chardonnay compared to a Central Coast Chardonnay in pricing.
The grapes come from 3 vineyards in Livermore: 75% from their estate (One Oak), 12.5% from White Cat, and 12.5% from Sachau. Barrel treatment is mostly French oak with several Hungarian oak barrels. New oak is 35% in total with new French oak being 27% and 8% being new Hungarian. It is aged for 18 months and 390 cases were produced. The price point is $44/bottle and it is 13.5% alcohol. The wine will be released August 4th at the winery.
Recent awards from previous vintages include:
2021 Cabernet Franc, Double Gold from the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
2019 Cabernet Franc, Double Gold from the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
Below is the link to the previous vintage release of Cabernet Franc:
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2023/05/30/2021-wood-family-vineyards-cabernet-franc/
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Paired last evening with a BBQ’ed ribeye steak, roasted and seasoned small halved potatoes and sautéed broccoli and sliced Cremini mushrooms. Also accompanied by a beautifully tossed fresh salad.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The food and wine pairing was excellent with the velvety but firm tannins embracing the steak.
Once again, this Cabernet Franc will make my annual Best Wines tasted in the year. The list is published in December.
Sláinte,
Michael