1999 Abacela Cabernet Franc

[dananne]

Umpqua Valley, Oregon.

Dark reddish-purple color, decanted throughout evening. Brambly nose that included not a little oak. Flavors seemed vegetal, with some olive -- couldn't find much fruit, which prompted a discussion about how hard it is to figure out how to properly age New World Cab Franc as a stand-alone varietal. We thought the absence of fruit meant that we held it too long. Left remaining 1/3rd in the decanter, open, until today. Now, the bouquet and flavors are completely different. Velvet texture with wonderful blueberry fruit and some earth. Totally different wine today. Go figure. Alas, it was my only bottle -- paid $23 locally for the Cab Franc aging education. Alc. 12.5%.

[Innkeeper]

You can't paint all New World Franc with the same brush any more than you can with Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and others. We have/had two '01s that we planned for this year. Have already killed the Fox Run, but we knew it was ready when we had some at the winery in May. The second is a Tobin James, Paso Robles that I think was priced close to your Abacela. Will probably try it later in the year, and decant it ahead of time.