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November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

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Tim York

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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Tim York » Wed Nov 09, 2011 11:57 am

Last Sunday I spent some time at Brussels Salon of La Revue du Vin de France. I was glad that there were two of the best Touraine producers of Cabernet franc reds present and I tasted their whole ranges on show (I will deal with other wines on show separately).


Domaine de la Butte, Bourgueil, Jacky Blot
Jacky Blot’s Bourgueils have a lively and exuberant style with small elements of an attractive green edge and wet leather, which contrast with the ripe and polished style of that other appellation leader, Yannick Amirault. I would be happy to have any of the following on my table but all except the first with probably improve a lot with some age. They are all appellation Bourgueil with a strong family resemblance; the prices quoted are those in the Salon catalogue, probably ex-cellars in France. The names except Perrières reflect the location on the hillock (butte) of the plots from which the wines come.

Pied de La Butte 2010 €8) was a lovely fruity and tangy Bourgueil for immediate drinking with charcoal and mineral notes and lively acidity; 15.5/20++.
Haut de la Butte 2010 (€12) was quite similar in aromas and flavour with, in addition, a dab of wet leather and greater amplitude and structure; would repay some more time though good now; 16/20.
Perrières 2009 (€15) was more suave and added to the previous greater richness and complexity and a more velvety texture; 16.5/20.
Perrières 2010 (€15) was back to greater exuberance with noticeable structure and a generally rawer feel than the 2009; 16/20 now.
Mi-pente 2010 was bigger, longer and more structured than any of the previous and showed fresh and complex fruit with nice wet leather touches more noticeable than on Perrières. I guess that this would have 10-15 years improvement potential; 17/20 potentially.

(Jacky Blot’s dry Vouvray and Montlouis chenins from his Domaine de la Taille aux Loups were absolutely brilliant.)



Domaine Charles Joguet, Chinon
I have visited this estate twice and have had quite a lot of their wines from the mid-90s in my cellar as well as a few from more recent vintages. They are very classical and elegant in style with little or no new wood and age beautifully. The 96s, though from a reputedly down phase at the estate, are drinking beautifully right now. All the wines are appellation Chinon.

Cuvée Terroir 2009 (€13) was less exuberant in aroma and fruit than Blot’s Pied de la Butte but was in its more restrained style was attractive drinking with good grip; 15/20++.
Les Petites Roches 2008 (€15) was more exuberant on the nose but suave on the palate than the previous and a touch boring; just 15/20.
Les Varennes du Grand Clos 2006 (€19) is usually an excellent quite sturdy wine which ages well but there seemed to be something wrong with this bottle; the palate was fuller than the previous two with more, even slightly harsh, structure and there was an oxidative note lurking in the fruit; 13/20.
Le Chêne Vert 2006 (€27) restored my faith in the estate. The aromas were beautifully fresh with some noticeable raspberry notes and the palate was long and refined with some lovely complex fruit mingled with minerals and touches of wet leather; I have a few bottles of this; 17/20.
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Wed Nov 09, 2011 12:35 pm

Lucky you Tim. I can but dream! Anyhows, here is my thoughts on a Paracombe CF....>

WTN: `05 Paracombe Cabernet Franc Adelaide Hills, S Australia.

SC, cellared 3 yrs, $36 Cdn, 14.0% alc, opened and decanted one hr, slight trace of sediment.
First CF was 1993, yield 1.5 kilogram per vine. Paracombe has an excellent reputation with CF.

Color. Big depth of dark fruits, very little sign of age on the watery rim.

Nose. Has an almost Bordeauxish feel about it, berries, hint of oak still, spice, some earth. Very appealing.

Palate. Initial entry thought was dry, soft tannins, lengthy elegant finish. Red berry fruits stand out here, just a brief hint of some ripe fruit. "Does not have any of that green pepper I tend to dislike" from across the table. Think this has turned out quite well but needed more time to open up and show fleshy fruits. On day 2 not-so pleasant acidity on the finish was noted.
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Carl Eppig » Wed Nov 09, 2011 7:56 pm

2007 Shelton, Yadkin Valley (NC), Estate Bottled, Cabernet Franc. For those not familiar Yadkin Valley it is in Northwest NC just below the Virginia border off of I-77. In these beautiful mountains lies the Shelton Vineyards, among the largest in the east. All wines are grown on the property.

The ’07 Cab Franc won a Gold medal at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition this year, and a Double Gold at the North Carolina Wine Competition last year. We picked this one up on our trip south this past June after enjoying a taste.

The price was $13.99 and the alcohol level was 12.5%. It is an excellent medium bodied wine with red cherry and violets on the nose and upfront. More complex red and black fruit in the almost perfect balance found its way across the palate, and the finish was lovely. It made a great pasta wine, and we enjoyed it with our own Meatballs and Spaghetti. Great meal!
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:22 am

Carl sounds like a very good wine. Is this an established winery with some repute?
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Carl Eppig » Thu Nov 10, 2011 9:39 am

Bob Parsons Alberta. wrote:Carl sounds like a very good wine. Is this an established winery with some repute?


Fairly new; established in '99. Reputation growing year by year.
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Joe Moryl » Thu Nov 10, 2011 1:05 pm

After pulling the cork on an 2008 Ravines Cabernet Franc, Finger Lakes and finding it horribly corked, I turned to this, which is mostly Cab Franc (60%, with 25% Merlot and 15% CS):
2007 Shalestone Harmony, Finger Lakes:
Good intense color, still very youthful, with purplish tints. Really bright and crisp, but not lacking in suppleness either. An array of dark current/cherryish fruit with just the slightest hint of bell pepper, lead pencil and underbrush. No obvious oak or alcohol, nice structure. Shows what Bordeaux varieties can produce in a good growing season in this cool climate. For those not familiar with Shalestone, it is as tiny, hands-on place run by the amiable Rob Thomas (one of the first winemakers at Lamoreaux Landing) and only makes red wine. 12.2% abv, $18.
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Salil » Fri Nov 11, 2011 10:17 am

2009 Domaine Filliatreau Saumur-Champigny La Grande Vignolle
$20 from Chambers. Drank over two days. Rather tight and unyielding on the first evening, showing a core of dark berried fruit and a surprising/offputting lactic element. Put 2/3rds of the bottle back in the fridge.
Much more enjoyable on the second night with the fruit more giving, fresh herbal and chalky notes emerging and the lactic note gone. There's a sense of ripeness and power here, but bright acids keeping it nicely balanced. Very enjoyable, though nothing to make me stop buying Baudrys.
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Fri Nov 11, 2011 1:07 pm

Salil, I have read various reports on "lactic". Is this considered a winemaking fault?
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Tim York » Fri Nov 11, 2011 1:46 pm

Salil wrote:2009 Domaine Filliatreau Saumur-Champigny La Grande Vignolle
$20 from Chambers. Drank over two days. Rather tight and unyielding on the first evening, showing a core of dark berried fruit and a surprising/offputting lactic element. Put 2/3rds of the bottle back in the fridge.
Much more enjoyable on the second night with the fruit more giving, fresh herbal and chalky notes emerging and the lactic note gone. There's a sense of ripeness and power here, but bright acids keeping it nicely balanced. Very enjoyable, though nothing to make me stop buying Baudrys.


La Grande Vignolle is well worth a visit. It is a fascinating troglodytic property http://tourisme-valdeloire.fr/tag/la-grande-vignolle/ backing into the Loire side cliffs which is owned by Filliatreau and was (maybe still is) a restaurant where in fine weather we ate on the terrace looking towards La Loire. The food was decent, the welcome good and the Filliatreau wines always very fruity, fresh and thirst quenching.

On our last visit there, we were entertained by a Dutch couple who make a loud scene about something trivial and ended up by deliberately breaking a glass. All around, we heard "ils sont anglais" as if that explained everything. I hastened to put the other diners right about their misconception, which is regrettably nourished by the often loutish behaviour by many of my compatriots when on the European continent.
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Mark Lipton » Fri Nov 11, 2011 4:45 pm

Bob Parsons Alberta. wrote:Salil, I have read various reports on "lactic". Is this considered a winemaking fault?


I'm not Salil, but I often use this term in relation to young wines, especially youngish Syrah. It's generally agreed that such notes will fade with time as the culprit molecules are converted to less volatile ones. To me, it's a smell halfway between spoiled milk and butter.

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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Fri Nov 11, 2011 11:06 pm

Thought this might be a good time to refresh readers on Project Cabernet Franc.....>

http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsfo ... 0081.shtml

Thanks Mark for your kind explanation.
Tim, a wonderful horror story! Must have been a riot.
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Bill Hooper » Sat Nov 12, 2011 3:12 pm

2009 Domaine des Roches Neuves (Thierry Germain) ‚Terres Chaudes‘ Saumur-Champigny –Loire, France 13% alc.

I took the kids to Alsace today and stopped in at one of my favorite wine shops which is convieniently located there. Small but and well-stocked with two of my favorite French regions (Loire and Sud-Ouest), it is the closest outlet for these wines to me.

Too young to drink by many years, but opened in the interest of science. Deep and concentrated with dark black berry, coffee, blood sausage, bay leaf, tin can, and parsley. Thick and painful with tannins, but beyond it all is a bright future. At under 20€, it is a fantastic bargain.

Cheers,
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Matthew Latuchie » Sun Nov 13, 2011 11:35 pm

had a great dinner last night with 18 aged cab franc's on display (viewtopic.php?f=3&t=41863). Only once before had I delved into the world of aged cabernet franc, but last night has convinced me that they deserve a large portion of my long term cellaring space. most wines seemed to be either at or approaching their peak with a couple youthful bottles and a couple that seemed a bit tired.
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Salil » Mon Nov 14, 2011 11:40 am

2005 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon Le Clos Guillot
Way way way too young. Monstrously tannic on the first night, packed with dense fruit and structure but already so well balanced. Time in a decanter makes it more approachable and brings out fresh forestal greenness, a savoury earthiness, floral elements and a chalky minerality around the core of pure, dark berried fruit. After a day in the fridge leftovers are even more accessible and fragrant, though it's still very primary. There's outstanding balance and depth here, but it just needs a lot of time.
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Yossie Horwitz » Mon Nov 14, 2011 12:38 pm

I'm a huge fan of varietal Cabernet Franc wines and often enjoy two in particular, one from California and one from Israel. My last notes of each follow:

Four Gates, Cabernet Franc, 2006: The 2005 vintage of this wine was my first tasting of a Four Gates wine and a delicious and characteristically true prelude to all those that followed. Probably among the nicest Cabernet Franc wines I have had and very different from some of the Israeli versions I love. A full-bodied wine with a packed nose that had those delicious green notes I love in Cabernet Franc, including green pepper and eucalyptus, together with floral notes, tobacco, red pepper (!?) cherries and raspberries, most of which continued on the palate, adding a nice herbaceous note, bittersweet chocolate, cedar wood; all opening up in consecutively delightful layers. The wine leaves you with a long velvety caressing finish and craving another bottle. Great acidity (one of Four Gates' hallmarks) contributes greatly to the food-friendliness of this wine.

Ella Valley Vineyards, Cabernet Franc, 2007: Besides their densely different Merlot, in my opinion, Ella Valley's Cabernet Franc is their standout wine. A full bodied wine and layered wine, with well integrated tannins and solid mouth-watering acidity, the wine has plenty black fruit on both the nose and palate with gentle earthy green notes of bell pepper and eucalyptus accompanying the blackberries, black cherry and notes of plums together with a hint of bitterness and warm baker's chocolate. Delicious right now and will likely cellar for another few years. I recently tried the 2008 as its even better, if not quite ready to drink yet.
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Jenise » Wed Nov 16, 2011 5:38 pm

Yossie, where in California is Four Gates located? Not a winery I'm familiar with.
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Jenise » Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:19 pm

Last night the Dorks of York got together to taste Cab Franc. In this tasting group, we put all the brown bagged bottles on the table. The order's decided spontaneously by anyone who thinks their wine would be a good one to follow whatever was just poured.

First one out is Gabe's because he's "disappointed" in it. He just wants to get it over with. Seems a warm vintage style: very ripe nose, sweet oaky fruit on the midpalate with a bitter finish. It's painfully clear why he's disappointed, especially when he reveals that the retail on this is around $48--you can't taste the money. With the reputation this winery has, we deserved better. 2009 Pyramid Valley Cab Franc, New Zealand. Awful.

I decide this might be a good place for one of my three wines, the 2003 Burrowing Owl Cab Franc from British Columbia, because I'm not sure I won't be disappointed too. But I'm not: after the vitamin B nose settles down, it's smokey with gamey, roasted flavors and the requisite green notes. It's mouthfilling with good tannins and acidity, and even those not keen on the luxury models of cab franc admit to enjoying it. Attractive for it's age and style.

Now Melissa timidly enters the fray. We reel initially from the ferocious brett blast, then quickly detect the rampant acidity which causes Gabe and I to cry out in unison, "Italy!" Apparently the guy who sold her the bottle said, "They'll never guess it" so she's crushed. Light cherry fruit, more grassy than herbal, it's pleasant enough but definitely beyond it's best days. It's a 2003 Castello Carboncine Riserva from the Veneto. Struggling.

John knows he's got that beat so proudly puts out a bottle. The nose is beautiful: earthy, mineral, dusty, cherry pie, spice, definitely Loire. Satisfying and balanced on the palate. I mention that I'm not sensitized enough to Loires to guess regions, and Gabe says neither is he "except I know this isn't Bourgeil." So John immediately reveals, "It's Bourgeil." I guess Chanteleuserie, which is right, but am thinking it's got a few more years on it than it turns out to have. 2008 Domaine de la Chanteleuserie. Excellent.

Time for my little Chinon. A wow of a nose. Sweet and spicy with red fruit including tomatoes fresh off the vine with that neat green taste from the leaves, cinnamon and a little sassafras. Everybody loves it. 2002 Sourdais 'Les Clos'. Wine of the Night.

Oh jeez, what's this? Sugar, jammy overripe raspberries and Aunt Jemima syrup. No Cab Franc character to speak of, no acid, no anything-good. Label admits to 14.1% alcohol but we think it's worse. 2007 Tamarack Cellars Cab Franc from Washington. Absolute dreck.

Since anything will show well after that, Allen seizes the opportunity to trot out his bottle which he bought on the way over, not owning any Cab Franc. Very new world with a touch of vanilla, but otherwise correct CF character. Big, sturdy and seriously good quality. Very enjoyable. It's the 2007 Owen Roe 'Rosa Mystica'. Best new world wine of the night.

Just when we think we've run out of wines, Tim appears out of nowhere. He's been at an industry tasting put on by an outfit called Dickinson and is exhausted from all the Dick jokes. He's brought two bottles. The first is a very cheerful blend of Pineau d'Anuis, Pinot Noir and Cab Franc, 2009 Montagne Blanche 'Coteaux du Vendemois'. It's a happy, joyful little wine full of exuberantly forward red fruits and some vitamin B-6 minerality. We all like.

We're not so enamored with his second wine, the 2009 Arbor Crest Connor Lee Vineyard Cab Franc from Spokane, Washington. There's an annoying lactic note on the entry with malted cherry fruit and creosote flavors. Conclusion: it's just okay. And I'm being kind here.

And now for the grand finale, buoyed by the recent tasting notes on 1995 cab francs at Bob Semon's house, I whip out the wine I'm sure is going to leave the Sourdais in the shade. And I get: light brett, fungus and then...oh shit, TCA? No one else thinks so. But they don't say anything good, except Allen, who inexplicably loves it. So we question him about his prescription drug use, which he denies. Long as we were getting personal, for good measure we throw in the Sandusky questions too ("Are you a pedophile?", etc), which he also denies. By the time the interrogation's over, Gabe agrees: it's corked. Damn damn damn! It was my one and only bottle of: 1995 Olga Ruffault 'Les Picasses'.

Fun night, as always.
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Pinchas L » Thu Nov 17, 2011 10:40 am

Jenise wrote:Yossie, where in California is Four Gates located? Not a winery I'm familiar with.


Jenise,

Four Gates is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Its wines can be purchased only directly from the winery, and its website is fourgateswine.com. Alice, she of The Feiring Line, likes the wines, particularly the Chardonnay.

Best,
-> Pinchas
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Tim York » Thu Nov 17, 2011 11:21 am

Jenise, that's a nice Cab franc treat. Pity about Les Picasses :( . If one leaves aside certain right bank Bordeaux which have a big CF content, the only ones from outside the Loire valley which have really convinced me have been the quite high altitude Villa Vignamaggio from Tuscany, some from northerly Friuli and one from Warwick Estate in South Africa. Your Burrowing Owl from BC is probably also from a quite cool site. I wonder if a warm climate really suits the grape, though Yossie seems to have done well with one from California and another from Israel.

I have had a budget CF from Languedoc which didn't leave an indelible memory; I'll see if I can find the TN. I didn't at all like a Cali CF a few years ago from Joseph Swann, I think.
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Tim York » Thu Nov 17, 2011 11:27 am

Re my previous post, I found the following TN from 2001 in the old archive -

Topic: TN: Ugh! Cabernet Franc from Joseph Swan and another better.
Author: Tim York
Date: Thu Mar 22 13:07:49 2001
Reposted with "TN"

- Joseph Swan Cabernet Franc Russian River Valley - 1996

C: Deep but slightly opaque with some non-settled sediment.
N: Strong slightly synthetic raspberry jam (supermarket's own brand not a quality manufacture ).
P: Full and rich seeming with similar strong synthetic raspberry aromas to N on attack with a soft centre reminiscent of over-ripe mango completed with a touch of soap. Little acidity and soggy tanins.

I didn''t know that it was possible to make a product so overblown and synthetic tasting out of Cabernet Franc which gives such deliciously zestful yet elegant wines in good years in Touraine and Anjou as well as Cheval Blanc, of course, an absolute summit. Curiously over-oaking, a frequent problem in "modern" wines, was not apparent here.
Is this an aberration or is there a market for this sort product more redolent of the sweet-shop than the winery?

In order to replace this bottle, which I couldn''t finish, and to restore my faith in Cabernet Franc from outside France, I then opened -

- Russiz Superiore Cabernet Franc Collio DOC - 1997

C: Deep
N: Subdued at first with slight herbaceous notes typical of CabFranc overlaying red fruit with cassis notes. 48 hours later the N was much more open and integrated with the herbaceous note hardly apparent except as an element of zest.
P: Somewhat closed and a little short at first but a lot more frank, honest and better balanced with acid and structure than the Joseph Swan. 48 hours later much more open and longer with discreet fresh red fruit fragrance and excellent balance and structure. Warmer and fuller than a Loire Cabernet Franc but still keeping the most of the zest and elegance with an added generosity. 48 hours under vacu-vin for a half full bottle did wonders. A few months ago I also enjoyed an excellent Cabernet Franc from South African Warwick estates 1996 vintage. A bit more generous and a little less elegant perhaps than the Russiz Superiore but still infinitely better balanced, IMHO, than the Joseph Swan.


I'll go on searching for the Warwick Estate and the Languedoc examples.
Last edited by Tim York on Thu Nov 17, 2011 11:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Tim York » Thu Nov 17, 2011 11:35 am

And here's my 2008 TN on the Cab franc from Languedoc -

Cabernet Franc – Vin de Pays d’Oc – 2005 – Domaine de Mairan – 13.5% alc. (€ 5,60).

During a visit to our nearest serious wine merchant in search of Malbec, Cahors and budget Bordeaux, I spotted this one and took the opportunity of seeing what Cabernet franc can deliver in one of the warmer and drier regions in France.

C: Quite light and transparent.
N: Red fruit with dashes of prune, fig and meridional herbs and a tang which provided a family resemblance with more northerly CF.
P: Attractively “sweet”, well balanced easy drinking with aromas and flavours as on the nose and showing more generosity and perfume but less bright focus, rigour, minerality and complexity than “savoury” Loire CF; not a lot of structure. Without the visual reference, I might have taken it for a fully flavoured rosé. Clearly a Mediterranean wine, it went well with a Portuguese inspired stew of pork and cockles in a light tomato sauce. 14.5/20 and good QPR.

The estate, previous unknown to me, is located north-west of the town of Béziers quite close to the Minervois, Saint-Chinian and Faugères sub-appellations.


I can't locate my TN on Warwick Estate, if indeed I ever wrote one.
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Thu Nov 17, 2011 3:13 pm

That is a pretty diverse selection of wines there Tim. Great read and love the prose!
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:08 am

Here in cold snowy Alberta, we are starting to see some wines from "Loirevinsdomaines". I checked the website and this is what I came up with. I am certainly interested as I have just found an `09 Bourgueil from Domaine Lefief for under $20 Cdn.

http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl ... md%3Dimvns
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Re: November: Cab Franc for Wine Focus!

by Craig Winchell » Fri Nov 18, 2011 3:37 pm

Jenise, Four Gates is a fully vertical operation. As Pinchas said, it's in Santa Cruz, high on a mountain. There is a small vineyard in 3 blocks, and most or all of the wine is sourced there. For the most part, it's a one man operation. Binyamin Cantz performs both the vineyard and winery operations, and then sells the literal fruit of his labors. Some wines are better than others, but they all have plenty of character.
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