Tasting Diaries: November 2025
No.68 | What's In My Glass
Greetings from Stellenbosch, South Africa! I am here this week to give a masterclass on Cabernet Franc from around the world for the Cape Winemakers Guild members. I am here on the invitation of the country’s Cabernet Franc flag-bearer Bruwer Raats of Raats Family Wines, who has been championing the variety since the winery’s inception in 2004. I’m honoured to be here to share my passion for Cabernet Franc and its global landscape with this esteemed group of winemakers. Naturally, I am taking advantage of my time in the country to explore South African Cabernet Franc, and Bruwer and his family have arranged a number of visits for me with key producers around Stellenbosch and beyond, and I look forward to reporting on my tastings and discoveries here in the future.
But for now, I want to take a moment to highlight some of the wines that delighted my palate last month.
Heathen Wines, 2023 Blanc de Franc, Monticello, Virginia, USA (12.5% abv., SRP $45USD): When pet-nats are made well, they can be really tasty. So I was delighted when I popped the cork on this white Cabernet Franc ancestrale method sparkling from sommelier and long-time friend Heath Porter. Heath partnered with Crozet, Virginia-based Stinson Vineyards to help his vision for this Blanc de Franc to come to life. This wine is jovial and fresh, with delicate aromas of tiny red berries and soft herbs. The mousse is fine and elegant, with additional notes of violets and crème fraîche on the palate. The Cabernet Franc character comes through really nicely, it delivers pleasure and character with every sip. Yum!
Vignamaggio, 2018 Cabenet Franc di Vignamaggio, IGT Toscana, Italy (14.5% abv., SRP $100USD: A rare 100% Cabernet Franc coming from the region of Chianti in central Tuscany, the wine is sourced from vines planted in the 1960s at the Vignamaggio estate in the commune of Greve. There is a decent amount of Cabernet Franc planted in Tuscany (just shy of 800ha or so) and I’m seeing more and more single varietal examples on the market, so if my budget allows, I always buy a bottle to try. This wine displayed a definite sunny, riper character one would expect from the sun-drenched Tuscan hillsides, but it also showed lovely varietal character with notes of cedar wood, cypress, bay leaf and fresh oregano, with a hint of rose potpourri. While the wine saw a percentage of new oak, I found the wood to be well-integrated and reserved on the nose and palate. The wine had balancing freshness with elegant, velvety tannins that offered a touch of grip through the finish. Luxurious and richly textured, with restraint and elegance, this is a perfect Cabernet Franc heading into the colder months that would be smashing alongside braised beef cheeks.
Château du Hureau, 2019 Saumur-Champigny “Lisagathe” (13.5% abv., SRP $35USD): From a selection of parcels in Dampierre-sur-Loire and Souzay-Champigny, I’ve long been a fan of this cuvée and I’ve had the pleasure of tasting it at various stages of its life. Last time I tried the 2019 (probably about 18 months ago), it was a little tight and standoffish. It is amazing what time in the bottle can do! About an hour after opening, the wine really started to sing. Dark, foresty berries (mulberry, cassis) with a touch of cedar leaves, rosemary and dried mint, and added layers of pink, green and white peppercorns, chalk and tobacco on the palate. Refreshing acidity marries with taut, velvety tannins, the palate has an enveloping fleshiness, lovely purity, finesse and balance. This will continue to improve over the medium to long term, so feel free to hold it longer if you have a bottle in your cellar.
RR81, 2023 Cabernet Franc, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (13.0% abv., SRP $35CAD): This is the latest Cabernet Franc release from the project by The Farm’s Neudorf family. Made it a low intervention style from fruit sourced from one of Niagara’s “premier cru” sites for Cabernet Franc, the wine expresses a beautiful purity of fruit and bright inviting character right from the get-go. Red-fruited with peppery undertones of black and green peppercorns, with a delicate herbal quality. The palate is lively with juicy acidity, with fine, taut, cotton-like tannins that weave together to create a firm but approachable structure. It feels very Loire-esque in style with a hint of Niagara polish. Enjoy now, decanted, with fattier proteins to balance the wines acidity and structure, perhaps a turkey or duck leg confit with a cherry compote. I think it will be even better in a few year’s time.
Red Tail Ridge, 2020 Cabernet Franc, Finger Lakes (Seneca Lake), New York, USA (12.8% abv., SRP $30): When I had my first sip of this wine, I instantly said out loud that this wine was unquestionably a Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc. Now the problem is trying to articulate why! Red fruit-driven (cranberry, raspberry) with a distinctive savoury-herbal edge and notes of violets and potpourri. The wine is lean and light on its feet for the vintage (a hot and dry one for the Finger Lakes), but with good density and concentration of flavours, and a Pinot-like elegance. Energetic acidity and fine, chalky tannins, the wine is medium-bodied, balanced, and persistent. This was the inaugural vintage of a single varietal Cabernet Franc for Red Tail Ridge and it has me eager to try more. Bravo!
Domaine du Bel Air, 2024 Bourgueil “Jour du Soif” (12.5% abv., SRP$20USD): Some early-drinking 2024s from the Loire are starting to make their way to the market, and from my tastings so far, I think there is a lot to look forward to from this challenging vintage. The “Jour du Soif” is the entry-level wine from the revered Gauthier family in Benais and is from a selection of their parcels primarily on the slopes in eastern Bourgueil. The wine has a lifted, pure, pretty nose with fresh red fruits and savoury undertones. Cranberry and sour cherry mingle with foresty notes as well as violets, nettle, green peppercorn and thyme. Brisk, juicy acidity with fine chalky tannins, it is medium-bodied with good definition and concentration for the vintage. Spicy with a bit of minty freshness on the finish, the wine is beautifully charming, with plenty of substance for short-term cellaring.
Just as a final note, tomorrow, December 4th, is International Cabernet Franc Day! And if there was any day to encourage you to open that favourite bottle of Cabernet Franc you’ve got in your cellar, tomorrow would be a fine day to pop the cork on that bottle and bask in the beauty of this humble grape!
Thank you, as always, for reading, and for your continued enthusiasm and support. Cheers!
Great list, Allison. Thanks! (We stayed once-upon-a-time at Vignamaggio. What a place!! If only I had known to ask for their cab franc!!)