2006 Lang & Reed Cabernet Franc				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Date
	North Coast, CA	$20	K&L Wines	2/7/10
	A medium-deep, ruby-colored wine with bright aromatics of black fruit, cherry, sweet spice and a hint of herbs. We popped and poured this wine, which took awhile to sort of develop more than bright fruit flavors. It's smooth and medium-bodied, starting out all blackberry and black cherry with some notes of vanilla and mocha. Then as it sat in the glass and got away from food, the leafy, chalky, herbal nature of the varietal took over and settled in with the ripe fruit and sweet spice. Well-structured with integrated tannins and medium acidity. Only aged for 8-9 months in neutral barrels, which really let the fruit speak for itself. Needed a bit more complexity and a longer finish to get three stars. The winery specializes in Cabernet Franc and the North Coast is their "drink now" bottling. Would definitely buy this again, as it showcases what the grape is all about without being so in your face green and vegetal which the ones from France generally are. Very good QPR and ready to drink though could still age a year or two. (14.5% abv)

2005 Cass Winery Cabernet Franc				***
	Region	Price	Purchased	Date
	Paso Robles, CA	$42	@ The Winery	6/6/08
	A deep, ruby/purple colored wine with subtle aromas of black fruit, herbs, minerals and hints of oak. The palate is full-bodied with firm tannins, low acidity and intense ripe fruit flavors (plum, black cherry) with hints of oak, lead and herbs on the big finish. Still a bit disjointed, this wine could use another 6 months to fully integrate. Bigger than many Cab Francs, but still shows the typicity of the varietal.

2005 Charles Joguet Chinon Cuvée Terroir				**
	Region	Price	Tasted	Date
	Loire Valley, France	$18	@ Wine House	3/17/08
	A deep, ruby colored wine with typical French Cab Franc aromas of red fruit, green vegetables, smoke and a strong minerality. The medium body and tannins make this almost ready to drink showing rich black cherry, toast, coffee and clay flavors that need a bit more time to unite fully on the palate. The finish and complexity are pretty good for the price and a bit more lushly flavorful than many French versions of this varietal. One to look for if you're interested in seeing what this region has to offer. Retasted 9/8/08: Very vegetal this time around, though less tannic. Went better with food (Linguine with Goat Cheese and Arugula) which turned the asparugus/mineral flavors into bright berry fruit flavors with hints of smoke and pepper, complimenting the arugula and goat cheese. Quite a great pairing.

2005 Dark Star Cellars Cabernet Franc				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Date
	Paso Robles, CA	$25	@ The Winery	12/27/08
	This is the first Cab Franc from Dark Star which usually uses these grapes in their Ricordati blend. The wine is a dark ruby/purple color with a nose filled with black fruit, sweet spice and blackcurrant leaf. The palate is medium-bodied with good balance of tannin and acidity with black cherry, blackberry, earth and oak flavors with some minerality on the dusty finish. This wine doesn't show much typicity of the varietal, but is well-made if not overly complex. A good first try.

2005 Domaine Filliatreau Saumur Champigny La Grande Vignolle				**
	Region	Price	Tasted	Date
	Loire Valley, France	$17	@ K&L Wines	4/3/08
	A medium-bodied ruby-colored wine with a vibrant nose of dusty black fruits with a hint of herbs that is typical of the region. The palate was a bit tannic and rustic, but still filled with enough blackberry fruit and spice to make the experience enjoyable. This wine could definitely use a bit more time to soften it's rough egdes, but it's a nice version for those interested in exploring how French Cab Francs taste. Especially if you don't care for the green pepper notes that usually accompany these wines.

2005 Domaine La Grange Tiphaine Béccare				**
	Region	Price	Tasted	Date
	Loire Valley, France	$18	@ K&L Wines	1/29/09
	A medium-bodied, ruby colored wine with a nose filled with black fruit, earth, green pepper and hints of minerals. The palate is soft with good balance and acidity, low tannins and alcohol. The flavors are mostly vegetal with blackcurrant, black cherry, smoke and slate with a bit of black pepper on the finish. This is a classically-styled wine that really showcases its cool climate region. Its definitely less vegetal with food, but this is very differnet from New World versions. Much more earthy and dry. I liked it, the Man did not. You'll have to judge for yourself.

2005 Les Hauts Lastour Coteaux du Quercy				**
	Region	Price	Tasted	Date
	Cahors, France	$10	@ Colorado Wine Co.	4/19/09
	A medium, garnet-colored wine with a bright nose of red fruit, earth and licorice with a hint of herbs. A medium-bodied, soft and surprisingly ripe wine (for a French Cab Franc) with strawberry and plum flavors along with notes of white pepper, earth and a hint of green pepper and minerals on the lingering finish. A well-crafted wine that was quite intense and delicious without food, which is not easy to find in French versions of this varietal, especially for the price. A wine to seek out.

2004 Cass Winery Cabernet Franc				***
	Region	Price	Purchased	Date
	Paso Robles, CA	$36	@ The Winery	11/28/09
	A deep, ruby/purple colored wine with aromas of black fruit, cherry, minerals and hints of lead pencil and coffee. The palate is full-bodied with firm tannins (even after aerating), low acidity and fruit flavors of blackberry, plum and black cherry with hints of lead and mocha on the dusty, medium finish. This is a big wine that could use another year or two to fully integrate the tannins. Thought five years would be enough. A full throttle version of this varietal that's complex and intense. Wish I had another bottle to sit on and see what happens. (300 cases/14.9%)

2003 Beckmen Vineyards Cabernet Franc				***
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Santa Barbara, CA	$30	@ the Winery	3/27/08
	A full-bodied, deeply-colored ruby wine with subtle aromas of blackberry and green herbs along with hints of vanilla and licorice. Even though the winery's website said to drink it 2 years ago (whoops), the palate was still tight with plenty of tannic and acid to balance the ripe black fruit and tobacco flavors. In fact, I think it could have gone at least another year. A full-flavored and intriguing version of this varietal. It's too bad this vintage was Beckmen's last 100% bottling of Cab Franc because they were really on to something.

2003 Buttonwood Farm Winery Cabernet Franc				**
	Region	Price	Tasted	Date
	Santa Barbara County, CA	$18	@ the Winery	11/25/07
	Aromas of dark chocolate and cherry add depth and complexity to classic herbal "franc" aromas. Ripe raspberry flavors follow on the palate before resolving in a dusky, smoky finish. A decent example of the varietal, but a bit too rustic and uneven to entice me to buy a bottle.

2003 Rio Seco Winery Cabernet Franc				***
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Paso Robles, CA	$24	@ the Winery	1/12/08
	A medium-bodied ruby-colored wine with distinct aromas of bacon, black fruits and tar that overwhelmed the palate on the first night it was opened. Two days later it was like drinking a completely different wine. All dark fruits on the nose and palate with smoke and vanilla flavors and hints of chocolate, licorice and bacon on the lingering finish. Once all the flavors integrated it was just lovely. Either decant this wine at least an hour ahead or give it a minimum of 6 months more in the bottle. This wine was just released in Fall 07, so it has plenty of time to continue evolving. Retasted 1/6/09: Popped and poured. Still needs time with the licorice really dominating the wine. Since it was drunk pretty quickly, I can only assume the previous notes are still accurate. Should have aerated it.

2002 Rio Seco Winery Cabernet Franc				***
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Paso Robles, CA	$24	@ the Winery	4/8/08
	A medium-bodied ruby-colored wine with well-developed aromas of blackberry and earth with notes of mint and a hint of stewed fruit. The palate is full of black fruit flavors with notes of minerals, pepper, coffee, smoke, licorice and raisin. The medium length finish is dusty and the tannins are soft. I had another bottle of this about 6 months ago and thought it was on its' way out. Found this one in the back of my fridge. It's actually still evolving and flavorful just in completely different ways. I wouldn't wait too much longer though.

2001 Bedford Thompson Winery Cabernet Franc				***
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Santa Barbara County, CA	$24	@ the Winery	11/28/07
	The wine is intense with immense fruit reminiscent of ripe blackberries, blueberries and spice supported by toasty vanilla, vegetal and cedar notes. It has a supple, full body and a rich, lingering, elegant finish. This wine is drinking perfectly now, but is starting to show it's age. Drink within the next 6 mos. Retasted 9/21/08: As a whole this is still a lovely wine, but it is definitely on its' way out with the finish losing some length and finesse. Don't wait too much longer to enjoy this bottle.

2000 Bedford Thompson Winery Cabernet Franc				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Santa Barbara County, CA	$24	@ the Winery	12/12/08
	The wine is intense with immense fruit reminiscent of ripe blackberries, blueberries and spice supported by toasty vanilla, vegetal and cedar notes. It has a supple, full body and a rich, lingering, elegant finish. This wine is drinking perfectly now, but is starting to show it's age.

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