Nose
The 2013 Cabernet Franc is loaded with deep fruit and the smell of baked goods.
Palate
It has an oily richness to the mid-palate, and lingers on the palate.
Growing Conditions
Like vintage 2012, vintage 2013 it was ‘perfect’ by nearly all grape-growing standards in that yields were slightly above average, the weather was evenly warm, and fruit moved toward ideal ripeness without the fits and starts of the preceding two vintages. This produced wines with tremendous fruit flavors and textural depth. If you’re wondering if we in the Napa Valley ever tire of ‘perfect’ vintages, the answer is “not at all”. Perhaps no other variety expresses the special nature of our estate like Cabernet Franc, and vintage 2013 produced what may be the finest version of this wine to date. While Cabernet Sauvignon from Kuleto Estate can be sinewy in its tannin profile, the Cabernet Franc is always plush and rich. The small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon is merely an artifact of co-fermenting a small bit with the Franc in order to fill up a small open-top fermenter.
Aging
17 months in 67% new French oak barrels
