2021 Cabernet Franc

A few years ago in a discussion with UK wine expert Jamie Goode, he asked “what does the Okanagan do best?” Without hesitation, we pointed to Cabernet Franc. Most wine growing areas blend Cabernet Franc away into red blends, but the Okanagan, particularly the South Okanagan, makes some awesome Cabernet Franc that can stand on its own.

This Cabernet Franc was hand-harvested, fermented slowly and aged in barrel for 18 months. Finished with no filtration and minimal sulphates this Cabernet Franc is a beautiful expression of the viticulture and winemaking that is indicative of the South Okanagan. Fresh berries mingle with mild earthiness and cool herbal notes.

A delicious Cabernet Franc highlighting the best of the south Okanagan vineyards where it was grown.

TASTING NOTES:
Our first vintage of Cabernet Franc. Visually, you will notice lovely bright red fruit colours. The aromas include fresh ripe berries and plums. This wine tastes of fresh ripe red berries mingled with hints of earthiness and sweet oak. This is a delicious Cabernet Franc highlighting the best of the south Okanagan vineyards where it was grown.

WINEMAKING:
Cabernet Franc was harvested October 6-12, 2021 from our vineyards in Osoyoos. We hand harvested the fruit into small bins and transported the fruit to the winery where it is processed the same day. This ensures that the fruit quality is preserved. The grapes were destemmed but not crushed into small open top tanks. Fermentation happened naturally and slowly, and the wine was pumped over for several weeks before being pressed off. The wine was transferred to new and neutral/older French & Hungarian oak and aged for 18 months. The wine required no filtration and was only lightly sulphured at bottling.

WINEMAKER’S COMMENTS:
2021 was a vintage of extremes. The spring started off cool with intermittent rain, with average bud burst and bloom. Mid-June brought the “heat dome”, with more than two weeks of temperatures over 35C, topping out at 47C. This caused the vineyard to shut down to protect from the heat. 30+C days continued through July and August, exceeding the historical average for the South Okanagan. August brought smoke cover with wildfires raging for the latter half of the month. Maverick started harvest on September 1st with ripe Sauvignon Blanc and rushed to the final line with the last of the Bordeaux reds harvested in mid-October. The 2021 vintage is showing to make powerful wines with great acidity.

NOTES:
Production – 313 cases produced
Alcohol – 13.5%
Varietals – 93% Cabernet Franc and 7% Merlot
Vinification – hand-picked, destemmed and fermented in open top fermentor, aged for 18 months in new and neutral French and Hungarian oak barriques, bottled unfiltered
Cellaring – can be cellared for 10-15 years