Lo-Fi Wines, 2018 Coquelicot Vineyard Cabernet Franc, Santa Barbara County, California, USA
Cab Franc du Jour #6
Lo-Fi Wines was established by Mike Roth and Craig Winchester in 2012. At the time they were both working as winemakers at Martian Ranch Vineyard in Santa Barbara County, and when they got their hands on their first ton of fruit to experiment with on their own, it snowballed from there and Lo-Fi Wines was born. They are one of the few producers in California genuinely committed to Cabernet Franc, producing a number of different expressions and single-vineyard bottlings of the variety.
The Coquelicot Vineyard is located in the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County. We tend to think of California as warm wine country, but Santa Barbara County and the Santa Ynez Valley are distinctly cool climate, and the reason is fascinating. The valley is flanked by two major mountain ranges that run east to west, and this is the only area in California where the mountains follow that orientation. What that east-west corridor does is funnel cool air in from the ocean in the evenings, dropping vineyard temperatures, slowing ripening, prolonging the growing season, and preserving the bright, juicy acidity in the fruit. The Coquelicot Vineyard was planted in 1997 in what is described locally as Ballard sand and gravel, a low-vigour, well-draining soil type.
On the nose there are lots of tart red fruits and even some tart black fruit, a touch of blackcurrant, alongside a beautiful savoury, earthy undertone of rosemary and cedar leaves. On the palate the fruit carries through nicely with a snappy green peppercorn spice note that I really enjoy. The tannins are quite low and fine, the acidity is brisk and energetic, and you can almost sense those cool ocean breezes in the glass. There is a lovely dance between the fruit and the earthiness, and the wine feels genuinely honest, a true expression of the vineyard and the variety. If you put this in front of me blind, I would not have guessed California, which makes this quite a surprise to discover!
Wine Details
Producer: Lo-Fi Wines
Region: California
Appellation: Santa Barbara County
Vineyard: Coquelicot Vineyard
Soils: Ballard sand and gravel
Alcohol: 13.5%