Estate Cabernet Franc

The Wine

Brilliant ruby in color, our Cabernet Franc displays mouth-watering aromas of candied cherry, raspberry and vanilla, with subtle hints of anise, caraway, white pepper, and black olive. Ripe, balanced tannins support a mouthfeel that is soft and silky, with intense flavors of cherry and spice. A long, lingering finish rounds out the wine with just a kiss of toasted oak at the end.

The 2005 Vintage

A warm, late winter instigated early budbreak, but persistent spring rains set back vine development.  Mild summer temperatures resulted in slow, even ripening of the grapes.  A classic Indian summer brought the harvest to fruition, enabling our Cabernet Franc grapes to enjoy a long hang time on the vine and develop rich, concentrated flavors at moderate sugar levels.

Food Affinities

Pork chops, pork tenderloin, and filet mignon are all excellent matches. Dishes incorporating autumn spices, such as fennel crusted salmon, are especially good at bringing out he wine’s lively fruit flavors.

Our Estate Vineyard

Our primary estate vineyard is located in the heart of the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley AVA, which occupies an ideal climate zone between Napa's warmer up-valley districts and its cool southern tip. Our Cabernet Franc is grown in the northwest quadrant of the vineyard, where gravelly soils warm quickly in the spring, ensuring the grapes ripen fully while retaining their bright fruit character.

About Trefethen

In 1968, our family purchased seven farms surrounding a magnificent, but run-down, 19th-century winery in southern Napa Valley and created Trefethen Family Vineyards. At the time, there were fewer than 30 working wineries in Napa Valley. True to our original vision of creating a classic wine estate, we have never purchased a single outside grape. Instead, we lavish extraordinary care on our two sustainably farmed estate vineyards in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley. Controlling all viticultural practices allows us to produce grapes with pure, intense flavors beautifully reflecting our unique terroir.