Steele Cabernet Franc 2007

Vineyards

While we are not known as a Bordeaux/Cabernet kind of winery (we tend to make more Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel) our location in Lake County allows us to produce several of these varieties in styles which would make our neighbors to the south a bit jealous. One of these is Cabernet Franc. When we started buying grapes from the vineyard of Floyd Silva we found that he was growing some of the best Cabernet Franc that we had ever tasted. Floyd has since then retired and we purchased this vineyard in 2005. The Silva vineyard, now known as Stymie Bench Vineyard is on a gravelly bench, which overlooks the Big Valley area of Lake County. The vines grow well at this higher elevation and show a great balance of flavors, structure and tannins.

Winemaking

Our typical winemaking style for red wines is a warm fermentation followed by pressing and racking. The wine then goes to Oak barrels and generally spends 18-20 months in a combination of American and French oak barrels. While most people are not familiar with this variety, once we get them to taste the wine they are converts for life. This wine is a mouthful of pleasure: lots of fruit, medium tannins and a long lingering finish. We would recommend some cellar time for this wine if only to allow all of the great aromas and flavors properly meld.