Rockbridge Cabernet Franc

I live in Virginia, and while there are pros and cons to that, one good thing is that here in Virginia, we're big on making wine.  While we do some varietals better than others, one that seems to thrive here is the Cabernet Franc.  For my wedding my wife and I were given a subscription to a Virginia wine of the month club.  This past month we recieved a pair of wines from Rockbridge Vineyard.  One a white that was far too sweet for our tastes, and the other a Cabernet Franc.  

The Rockbridge Cabernet Franc has a nice earthiness to it that I find quite enjoyable.  A very dry Cabernet Franc, this red wine went great with a very sauce-heavy pasta and red sauce meal I prepared.  The one thing I did notice was that after my meal was finished and I was just drinking the wine, it was a bit too dry to be enjoyed by itself.

This is a great wine to eat with a hearty red sauce or juicy steak, but if you're looking for a wine to drink by itself, I think you can find a better Cabernet Franc for that purpose.  I give the Rockbridge Cabernet Franc 2.5 stars out of 5 since it'll go great with a meal, but leaves something to be desired by itself.

Vino Curioso 2006 Franc the Tank

Today I review what is, in my opinion, one of the more interesting vineyards to recently open. Vino Curioso. The highlight of this new vineyard is certainly their cabernet franc, which they refer to as Franc the Tank (a great refrence to Old School).

The first thing I noticed about this wine was the peppery flavor. The spice from that first sip was surprising and yet quite enjoyable, especially when coupled with the low tannins and smooth finish, something that Virginia cabernet francs are not known for. The smooth finish and low tannins allowed me to actually enjoy the pepperiness, which went well with some chips and salsa.

The wine aside, Vino Curioso is doing an excellent job of producing a series of wines that are both high quality and that are being marketed in a way to draw in a younger crowd that is either unfamiliar with wine as a whole, or at the very least with good wine. Having seen Vino Curioso at a wine festival, the majority of the patrons at their booth were between the ages of 22 and 30, a crowd that is yet to be tapped by the majority of vineyards. Vino Curioso is well on their way to establishing themselves as a quality vineyard with a wide base. I give the Vino Curioso Franc the Tank 4 stars out of 5, a definite buy for the cabernet franc lover.

2004 Barboursville Cabernet Sauvignon

In honor of the launch of this blog, I’ve decided to do two wines this week. Since I’ve already talked about a white wine, I’ll go to the other end and mention a quality red wine. The 2004 Barboursville Cabernet Sauvignon is a top quality cabernet that will entice both those just getting into the drier reds, and those that have established a long relationship with them.

Barboursville is a Virginia vineyard and winery located just outside of Charlottesville, or UVA for those not familiar with Virginia geography, and has a tradition of producing quality wines in the New World that respect their Old World ancestors. Their Cabernet Sauvignon is no exception.
While I have visited the Barboursville Vineyard, the bottle of wine that I drank for this review was purchased at a local wine store for $14.99, and for those that live in Virginia, Barboursville is available at most ABC locations. While I have long been a fan of the cabernets, this one has quickly become one of my favorites for its versatility. The tannins work well with red meat and pasta, but the bite that you get on the back of your tongue with good cabernet isn’t so overpowering that this wine can’t be enjoyed without a meal.

The meal I prepared to go with this wine was a baked pasta including ground beef, Prego brand spaghetti sauce with garlic and sausage flavoring, wheat penne pasta, and a splash of the wine itself into the sauce to add a bit of flavor and to help compliment the actual wine itself. You will find that I usually cook with wine…and sometimes I even put it in the food.

While the meal was delicious, something I make rather frequently, the Cabernet Sauvignon did an excellent job of bringing out the richness of the meal without overpowering it. Even after the meal was over I found myself sipping at an extra glass of the wine as a nice way to end the evening. In fact, as I write this I am finishing the bottle in the middle of the afternoon, and still find the wine to be an excellent sipping wine for when I have a taste for a red. This is one of the few straight Cabernet Sauvignons that my fiance will drink, so I can’t help but give this particular Cabernet a good review.

I give the 2004 Barboursville Cabernet Sauvignon 4 stars out of 5 because it’s a great red wine that will compliment most meals…and I reserve the final star for the Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve that Barboursville also makes…even though it doesn’t fit into my $20 budget.