Tasting Diaries: May 2026

Coming Attractions... Bordeaux, Washington State, Oregon, the Livermore Valley and so much more.

These last 30 days have flown by, and my Tasting Diaries for this month looks at little different than usual. I am in the midst of preparing to head back to the Loire Valley, and while I have dipped into my personal cellar a few times this May, most of my month has been spent tasting wines from other regions for some upcoming features that will be published in the coming months. So, I thought I would use this opportunity to provide a bit of a preview of what’s to come.

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In addition to the Finger Lakes report that I mentioned in last month’s Tasting Diaries, I am also finishing two other major reports including a regional report on South Africa and the 2025 Cabernet Franc Global Vintage Report. (I’ve linked the 2024 report below.)

If you have been following and reading my work for some time now, you will have noticed the lack of Bordeaux content. While Cabernet Franc plantings in Bordeaux are significant - about one third of the global plantings, a little less than the Loire - it generally plays a supporting role in blends alongside Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Merlot, and my mission has always been to highlight Cabernet Franc as the star. But the times they are a-changin’, and there are more and more single varietal Cabernet Francs being made in the region and producers that are putting an increased focus on the variety. In light of this, I currently have two features in the works: one on the 2023s from St-Émilion’s Château Jean Faure, whose Grand Vin has been Cabernet Franc-led for over 150 years and might be one of the best value St-Émilion Grand Crus out there, and also a profile on up-and-coming vigneron Hugues Laborde, whose “L’Instant H” range features three single varietal Cabernet Francs from three distinct limestone terroirs across Entre-Deux-Mers, Fronsac and St-Émilion.

From the United States, I am working on producer and regional features from another under-represented area on Cab Franc Chronicles: the Pacific Northwest. From Washington State, I am writing a feature on Walla Walla’s Echolands Winery, a project launched in 2018 by Master Sommelier and Master of Wine Doug Frost and fellow Kansas City native Brad Bergman. Doug is a big fan of Cabernet Franc, and I featured his 2019 Blue Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Franc a few years ago, and I look forward to sharing the latest updates from his project. Also from Washington State, I will be doing a feature on the Rattlesnake Hills AVA, a sub-AVA of the Yakima Valley. In recent vintages in “the Hills,” as it is known locally, Cabernet Franc appears to be emerging as a key standalone variety, so my report will highlight wines from several producers including Andrew Will, Covington Cellars, Dineen Vineyards, Pollard Per Se, Sheridan Vineyard, Two Mountain Winery and Whitman Hill Winery. And while Oregon’s claim to fame is Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc plantings are minuscule, Bree Stock MW of Limited Addition Wines is betting on its potential for the future in the Eola-Amity Hills sub-AVA of the Willamette Valley, and I will be profiling her work Cabernet Franc in an upcoming feature.

Finally, from California, I have articles coming up featuring two producers who are doing more than their fair share preaching the Cabernet Franc gospel, both regionally and globally: Paso Robles based LXV Wines and the Livermore Valley’s Steven Kent Winery. LXV Wines founders Nitta and Kunal Mittal not only produce Cabernet Franc, but they are the founders of Cab Franc Masters, an annual event that focuses on Paso Robles Cabernet Franc that takes place around Cab Franc Day (December 4th). And US-wide, there is possibly no person more passionate about Cabernet Franc than Steven Mirassou, who makes several expressions (upwards of a dozen each vintage!) at his namesake winery in Livermore, and has been instrumental in elevating Cabernet Franc as the Livermore Valley’s signature red variety and whose Cab Franc-a-Palooza annual event brings together dozens of US and international wineries for a daylong event celebrating the variety.

And for my die hard Loire Cabernet Franc fans, rest assured, there is plenty of Loire-focused profiles, interviews and reports in the hopper to look forward to, especially as I head back to the region in the coming weeks.

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That’s a wrap on May. It’s been a busy one! Each of these features represents weeks of tastings, research, and conversation, and if this preview is any indication, the next few months are shaping up to be some of the most content-rich to date on Cab Franc Chronicles. And I’m genuinely excited to bring it all to you.

If you don’t want to miss any of what’s coming, a subscription is the best way to stay in the loop. And for a limited time, I’m offering an additional 15% off your first year on an annual subscription (a savings of up to 35% versus paying monthly). And, as always, thank you for reading, and for your continued enthusiasm and support.