Owen Roe, 2017 'Rosa Mystica' Cabernet Franc, Yakima Valley, Washington, USA
Cab Franc du Jour #42
Owen Roe was established in 1999 by David and Angelica O’Reilly, with estate vineyards in the Yakima Valley and additional fruit sourced from key growers across both Washington State and Oregon.
Cabernet Franc ranks a distant fourth among red grapes planted in Washington State, with just under 1,000 acres (around 400ha) in the ground, less than a tenth of the Cabernet Sauvignon acreage. For the most part it is used as a blending component in Bordeaux-style wines, but a small number of producers are committed to it as a single-varietal wine. David O’Reilly is one of them, and in a recent conversation he shared that the decision of where to establish his two estate vineyards and build the winery was made entirely with Cabernet Franc in mind.
Washington State’s wine regions lie in the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains, producing near-desert conditions that make irrigation essential but also minimize disease pressure significantly, making organic viticulture a practical and widely practised approach. The northerly latitude of around 46N brings long sunshine hours during the growing season, which is beneficial for Cabernet Franc.
Today’s wine comes from the Yakima Valley AVA, the oldest in the state, established in 1983. The fruit is drawn from four distinct blocks across three separate vineyards: David’s two estate properties, the Outlook and Union Gap Vineyards, alongside the Red Willow Vineyard. The Yakima Valley is considered one of the cooler sub-regions in Washington, and all three vineyards sit at around 400m above sea level, producing a meaningful diurnal temperature range that is essential for preserving freshness and varietal character in Cabernet Franc.
The soils across these vineyards are quite varied in their specifics but share a common geological heritage. The Yakima Valley is predominantly underlain by Missoula Flood slackwater sediments deposited after the last Ice Age, a combination of glacially and lake-derived alluvial soils that are very deep and free-draining. In some parcels a layer of loess, the fine wind-blown sediment characteristic of the region, sits above these flood deposits. The bedrock throughout is basalt, of volcanic origin. Importantly, the deep and predominantly sandy nature of these soils means the Cabernet Franc vines are entirely ungrafted, growing on their own roots.
In the vineyard, David is deliberate about leaf removal on the east side of the canopy, exposing the bunches to the gentler morning sunshine rather than the more intense afternoon light, with the goal of minimizing pyrazine development in the fruit.
The wine is fermented as whole berries at a relatively cool temperature of around 25C and spends approximately three weeks on skins before aging for 12 months in older French oak barrels.
Wine Details
Producer: Owen Roe
Region: Washington State, USA
Appellation: Yakima Valley AVA
Vineyards: Union Gap, Outlook, Red Willow
Soil: Silt-sand-loam (Missoula Flood Slackwater Sediments) with loess on top, and a basalt bedrock
Alcohol: 14.1%