Peju Province 2000 Cabernet Franc Reserve
Written by: Beck
So anyway, about a year ago some friends and I (two of whom write for INCITE) wound up in Napa Valley as part of a side-trip from a bachelor party being held in Lake Tahoe. At the
Peju Province vineyard we were so impressed with the cab franc at the tasting that 4 of us split a case of the stuff and had it shipped back to TX. Today, I cracked open my first one.
Now, while I'm certainly not qualified to consider myself any kind of wine-snob, I often like to fantasize that I
am one. I've had a very broad variety of wines, have spent far too much money on wine, and really enjoy, well, wine. I've had some fantastic wines (Silver Oak '97 Cabernet comes to mind) and some absolutely craptastic wines (Vendage anyone?).
Now I finally understand why cabernet franc is almost never bottled alone, and instead is typically used for blending with sauvignon grapes. This is the most potent flavored glass of wine I have ever had. The flavor is virtually overpowering. I'm having a hard time adequately describing just how flavorful it is without lapsing into a bunch of silly/trite metaphors. Let's just say that this definitely ranks as one of the top five wines I've ever had. One bit of bad news--the 2000 cab franc is completely sold out from the look of their website.
Final note--it definitely has benefited from the year that its had to age since I first sampled it in Napa.