By K.L. Riley
With the holiday season approaching I want to focus on a wine I think will make your dinners more memorable. I wanted my first article on Cabernet Sauvignon to be a wine that I enjoyed during a seasonal dinner and I think it will enhance your dining experience as it did for me. Frank Family Winery is one of those Napa wineries whose story is as unique as its wine, being the product of a partnership between Disney executive, Rich Frank, and wine maker Koerner Rombauer, In 1992 Mr. Frank was notified about a property for sale in the Rutherford hills of Napa Valley. Between the two of them they discovered a way to combine their ideologies and resources to create a winery capable of producing grapes that deserve our attention and respect.
frank-familylabelFrank Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most incredible Cabernets I have ever had the pleasure to drink. I remember the night like it was yesterday; I gave my friend the wine list to pick out a wine for us at a Christmas dinner and he picked Frank Family Reserve Cabernet. My first thought was “what the hell did he just order?!”, and then I drank it and my perspective of Rutherford fruit was changed forever. Rutherford has a very similar climate to Napa Valley but the wines that are made here have very distinctive textures and aromas. I found this wine to be extremely delicate and reserved; the bouquet was juicy with hints of blackberry, dried cherries, dark chocolate. The color was a dark purple with a medium body and relatively thick legs. As the wine began to open the bouquet presented smoked bacon and leather. The palate is what really sets this wine apart from other Napa Cabernets; it was overwhelmingly delicate and subtle yet concentrated and rich. The wine coats your mouth with warmth, comfort and ripe fruit, pepper, blueberries and espresso beans. There are so many adjectives I can give this wine, yet somehow they are weak in comparison to the adjectives the wine will give you when you drink it.
In addition to this marvelous Reserve Cabernet, Frank Family also produces regular Cabernet, Chardonnay, Sparkling brut, Blanc De Noir, Champagne Rouge, Reserve Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Zinfandel Port, Reserve Chardonnay, Reserve Pinot Noir, and Reserve Champagne. Some of these wines have a low allocation so you might only be able to find them on the website but you should be able to find the bulk of these wines in a restaurant or wine store. I plan to drink Frank Family wines again this Christmas and I hope that if you decide to drink their wines they will bring you joy around the dinner table.
Wine quote of the week;
Fill ev'ry glass, for wine inspires us,
And fires us
With courage, love and joy.
Women and wine should life employ.
Is there ought else on earth desirous?
John Gay 1685 - 1732
The Beggar's Opera [1728], act II, sc. i, air 19
