Ashes & Diamonds Napa Valley Cabernet Franc No.6 2019

Ashes & Diamonds Napa Valley Cabernet Franc No.6 is the sixth release of the estate's Oak Knoll Cabernet Franc, with a quarter Merlot in the blend.

A quarter Merlot is the notable change this year, filling out a wine that has always been built on aromatics instead of muscle. The old Cabernet Franc at Oak Knoll, around thirty years of age and kept intact when Kashy Khaledi was advised to graft it over to Cabernet Sauvignon, is joined by organic fruit from Los Carneros and Yountville, all of it in the cooler south of the valley where fog and the San Pablo Bay breeze hold ripening back. Fermentation took place in stainless steel, with nineteen months in mostly older Taransaud and Orion barrels, sixteen per cent of them new, and the wine then sat two more years in bottle.

Fine-boned and perfumed at 13.2 per cent, with red fruit, pepper and a chalky Cabernet Franc texture sitting over silky tannins and a long finish. Give it 16 degrees and a little air. Roast lamb, veal, or mushrooms with thyme and polenta all suit it.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.