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2008 Napa Valley Cabernet Franc
May 13, 2011 by David
Filed under Blog, Cabernet Franc, Winemaker Notes
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
This double-clone blend of 100% Cabernet Franc is grown on our Yountville Estate. Winemaker Geoff Gorsuch comments that he utilizes vertical trellising, “which helps create optimum sunlight for even-ripening and the Estate fruit brings ripe, rich flavors to the blend giving it character & elegance.”
Flavor profile: Ripe cherry, raspberry, and blackcurrant with black licorice, white pepper, and mint.
2008 Vintage: A dynamic growing season with surprisingly low yields of flavorful berries showing great intensity of color and flavor
Drink now and through: 2014
Food Suggestions
This is a versatile wine, so enjoy it with everything from grilled swordfish, to poultry and veal to grilled Portobellos or a good steak. Colleen’s Kitchen has a few recipes matched with Cabernet Franc including her new Grilled Lamb Chops with Mustard-Herb Rub.
Coq au Vin With Estate Cabernet Franc
February 14, 2011 by Colleen
Filed under Blog, Wine & Recipe of The Month
A classic French dish, Coq au Vin originated in Burgundy but we have used our lush and generous Cabernet Franc grown on our Yountville Estate in this recipe. The cherry and sweet raspberry flavors of the wine pair perfectly with this hearty dish ideal for this time of year. Better yet, the recipe is easy to make but remember that a half bottle of Cab Franc goes into the dish so you might want to pickup 2 bottles in our online store.
Ingredients:
Organic chicken parts – 2 bone-in breasts, 2 drumsticks, 3 thighs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4 slices applewood smoked bacon, cut into lardons
1 cup mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 yellow onion, sliced
2 shallots, minced
1-1/2 cups Goosecross Cabernet Franc
1/2 cup port
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/2 cup veal demi glace
1 teaspoon thyme, minced
Directions:
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine salt, pepper, paprika, and flour in a bag and shake chicken parts in the mixture to lightly coat. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the chicken until brown, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken over and add the bacon lardons. Cook until the chicken and bacon is brown, about more 5 minutes.
Add mushrooms, onion, & shallot and continue to sauté until soft, 5-7 more minutes. Add the wine, port, tomato paste, and demi glace then stir well. Sprinkle with thyme. Cover and bake in oven for 35 minutes.
Serve with basmati rice and sautéed mushrooms garnished with thyme.
Basmati Rice
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 cup basmati rice
1-1/4 cups chicken broth
Melt butter & olive oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add rice, stir to coat, and cook until fragrant and sizzling. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until all broth is absorbed, approximately 25 minutes.
Discover more great recipes in Colleen’s Kitchen
Purchase the 2007 Goosecross Yountville Estate Cabernet Franc in our online store.
Goosecross: Pressing Cabernet Franc
It’s all glamour, working at a winery! In this 2-minute video you’ll see the Cabernet Franc being drained and the grape skins being shoveled out of the fermentation tank and pressed after the fermentation is over. Enjoy!
2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Franc
September 25, 2009 by David
Filed under Cabernet Franc, Winemaker Notes
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Lush, generous flavors of ripe cherries, sweet raspberry, dried herbs and mint finish with toasty oak, spice and a hint of licorice.
Pairings: Grilled steak or lamb, slow-cooked dishes, aged cheeses.
Merlot
Our friend Merlot has taken a beating recently, because of the movie Sideways, but you might be surprised to know that it’s the most widely planted variety in Bordeaux. When we think of Bordeaux, most of us think of Cabernet Sauvignon, and it’s a major player, but Merlot trumps it in volume for a couple of reasons. One is its velvety deliciousness, and the other is more practical. It ripens early, relative to Cabernet, so it’s less likely to be damaged by rain, plus it tends to produce greater yields.
Merlot is a bit of an orphan. We’re reasonably certain that one of its parents is Cabernet Franc, which might begin to explain why Cabernet Sauvignon (parents are Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc), Cabernet Franc and Merlot are so compatible, but the other parent is an unknown. Merlot has a thin skin compared to Cabernet Sauvignon which is probably why it’s often a little lighter in color and easier to drink when it’s young. The greatest source of the astringent tannins in wine is the grape skins.
Along with black fruit, Merlot often shows a touch more red fruit and herb-like character than Cabernet. The vegetative character is accentuated when it grows in a cold climate and less noticeable in a warm region. As a partner to highly-structured Cabernet Sauvignon it’s a natural, with softer tannins and plump, accessible fruit.
Frost and poor fruit set can be a concern, especially in cold climates, because it buds and flowers earlier in the spring than Cabernet Sauvignon. It has to be watched at harvest time in warm climates because it tends to lose acidity if it hangs too long. Consequently, unlike its half-brother, it does well in cool, moisture holding soils.
Aside from making the most expensive wine in the Bordeaux region, Chateau Petrus, you can find well-made examples of Merlot from virtually anywhere in the world. It’s an adaptable variety that’s equally versatile at the table because of the gentle tannins. Merlot with lamb is a classic combination, especially when the lamb is roasted with the traditional garlic and rosemary, which bring out the hint of herbs in the wine. The rich Merlot fruit is also a wonderful partner for the sweetness of roast duck or pork. It’s delicious with slow-cooked dishes like Coq au Vin and a great partner for dry, aged cheeses like aged Asiago or aged Cheddar. You can find delicious recipes to pair with Merlot or any other variety if you go to Colleen’s Kitchen.
Flavor profile: Currant, black cherry, plum, violet, herbaceous, bell pepper, earthy
Weight: medium to full bodied
How We Make Our Estate Meritage
In 2002, we had to re-plant our home vineyard here at the winery because the Chardonnay we planted in 1978 was diseased. The phrase “crisis as opportunity” comes to mind.
After almost 25 years, we had a chance to take a fresh look at our property and re-evaluate what belongs here. It’s a process! We hired three different consultants to take soil samples and check the meso-climate1 throughout the site. Much to our comfort and delight, the three consultants came back with almost identical recommendations: Plant red Bordeaux varieties2.
What Is Meritage Wine?
With that decision made, Geoff Gorsuch, our Winemaker, immediately thought about making a Meritage wine. A Meritage (pronounced like “heritage”) is a blend of Bordeaux varieties and so the wines are usually Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot- based (there are white Meritage wines, too, but they’re less common). Since varietal wines had been the standard of excellence here in America, the Meritage Association was created to distinguish hand-crafted, high-quality blends from simple red or white table wines or generic, so-called “jug” wines. Geoff wanted the freedom to blend the varieties together in the way he most prefers, regardless of varietal percentage. He takes the best our property has to give, and blends it into a beautiful expression of our vineyard site to make a single- vineyard, estate grown, Meritage blend.
Planting The Vineyard
We hand-planted lots of Cabernet Sauvignon, some Merlot, and small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Our consultants helped us select the various clones3 and rootstock hybrids4 to match the variability of the soil throughout the 9.5 acres. The vine spacing also varies, depending on the anticipated vine vigor, or lack of it, in different parts of the property. Before planting we re-graded, installed drain-tile and brought down the acidity of the soil a bit.
The vineyard is on the valley floor between the old Rector Creek and the Napa River-Conn Creek junction. Small as it is, the vineyard has been divided into 11 different sections according to variety, clone, rootstock, spacing and other variables. These sections are monitored separately regarding water, nutrients, canopy management5, and of course, harvest date. It’s a lot for Geoff to juggle, but it’s the only way to get the kind of results we’re looking for.
From planting the rootstock or benchgrafts6, it is 3-4 years to the first small crop. We think of the vineyard as mature when it is 6 or 7 years old, and hope that it will be with us for decades.
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New Recipe: Coq au Vin!
Mmmm… with smoked applewood bacon, mushrooms, shallots, fresh herbs, lots of wine… Just thinking about the Coq au Vin makes me ravenous!
Yes, it’s comfort-food time as the days get shorter and shorter and the nights colder and colder. And, Colleen has come up with her own special take on a classic – the perfect hunker-down, satisfying dish to warm you from the inside. And it’s an incredible match for our newly released 2006 Cabernet Franc (sorry – only 575 cases, so it’s for Wine Club only). I’m going to go out on a limb, here, and suggest that it’s probably going to be pretty-darned tasty with the earthy flavors of our Syrah or Merlot, too!
In any case, any time you want something truly delectable and a recipe that’s been tested and re-tested go to Colleen’s Kitchen. Of course, they’re all paired with wine! Bon appetit!
