I’m usually hesitant to write about a winery’s inaugural release of a Cabernet Franc. It’s a difficult grape to get “right” - both in the vineyard and the winery. Even in the Loire Valley, with centuries of Cabernet Franc tradition behind it, vignerons won’t hesitate to tell you it takes a minimum of ten years working a specific parcel to truly understand how those grapes need to be handled to get the best possible wine from the site. There’s also no obvious “blueprint” for single-varietal Cabernet Franc outside the Loire - unlike, say, Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon.
That said, I’m always curious what inspires a winery to go on the Cabernet Franc journey, particularly in a region where it isn’t the “popular” or obvious choice. So when General Manager Nancy Morrow of Willamette Valley’s Björnson Vineyard reached out to see if I’d be interested in trying their first-ever Cabernet Franc bottling, I graciously accepted.
Cabernet Franc isn’t the first grape - or likely the tenth - we thin…