Kent Rasmussen, a well-respected vintner of balanced Carneros Pinot Noir, and mountain Cab Franc from Napa are two wine "things" I've been looking to try. Well, the Kent Rasmussen 2007 Mt. Veeder Cabernet Franc kills two birds with one stone! I found a nice deal on this wine (thanks to Tony at Winery Insider/InVino going above and beyond to honor a price he didn't even know was listed) and picked up a few bottles along with Rasmussen's 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon from the same appellation.
Mt. Veeder juts up to Carneros, so it's reputedly a cooler mountain climate than others in Napa. Anyway, lots of very ripe cherries here, definitely more cherry fruit than a typical Napa Cab. Since Rasmussen's '07 Napa Cab also comes from Mt. Veeder, and I'll be curious to compare and contrast that wine with this one. Rasmussen's notes indicate originally this CF was going to be blended with the CS, but was complete enough to stand on its own. I'm with him on this, though it does make me a wee bit curious what the blended wine would have tasted like.
- 2007 Kent Rasmussen Cabernet Franc Esoterica - USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. VeederMix of earthier tones and new oak on the nose--candied ginger, tobacco, black cherry, violets and cinnamon oil. Fairly linear in flavor with refreshing acidity and moderate tannin. More sweet cherries followed by olive on the palate that finishes with good length. Fairly fruit driven in sum, but with layering of additional nuances. Best part is the aromas here. Certainly not a crime to drink now for youthful exuberance given approachability of structure. As good as this is, I do wonder a bit what it would be like with some Cab S for austere tannins and darker fruit to offset the cherry veering to the candied side and/or Merlot to broaden the mid-palate.
3 comments:
Yum! I definitely want to try this one, had no idea KR did CF... Nice discovery. What is the SRP? Isn't it interesting how great Napa pinot producers tend to fall in love with Cab Franc (a la Sinskey). If you haven't had the Pride Mountain Cab Franc (it's part Napa and part Sonoma) that's a mountain franc that is big and delicious. I had the 2005 - highly recommend.
KR has it listed at $40, though I was lucky to find it for less. Definitely a Cab Franc as a Pinot producer would make it. I feel the same way about Syrah as well--the Pinot producers capture its elegant side.
Also definitely a wine a producer of Virage would enjoy ;-) Though I think I like Virage just a hair more as it has a bit richer texture--maybe it's the Merlot and dash of Cab. Merry X-mas!
I really like the Mt. Veeder appellation and recently was introduced to Kent Rasmussen. I'm gonna have to seek this and other offerings of his out.
FYI, Trader Joe's just got a Pinot Noir by Kent under his 1001 label. Check out my review of it, http://tjswinenotes.com/2011/01/13/one-thousand-one-2008-north-coast-pinot-noir/ I think you'll like this juice, especially for $6!
-Matt
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