2014 Cabernet Franc Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, Red Mountain
Cabernet Franc from Red Mountain is simply a joy to vinify. It has great color, big aromas, deep flavors, and intense tannins all on its own. The winemakers’ decisions have little to do with what it becomes. The grapes control their own destiny.
The 2014 Cabernet Franc was a blend of three different clones of Cabernet Franc. Clone 214 is known for an amazing palate, great flavors and incredible structure. Clone 327 is known for an incredible nose that is complex as well as intense. And Clone 3, form an all-around wonderful base that integrates and pulls the other two clones together. The 214 and 327 were fermented in 100-liter roller barrels while the 3 was fermented in a traditional open top fermenter. The wine was aged in 40% new French oak barrels for 22 months.
Red Mountain Cabernet Franc is simply wonderful. All of the words you use to describe a great red wine apply here. It is deep in color. It has an incredibly complex nose showing blackberries, cherries, plums, tobacco, sage, high desert, and a multitude of other notes in an ever-changing progression. The palate is an explosion of intense and deep flavors of red fruits with cocoa, liquorice and earth. As it progresses the fruits become macerated with nutmeg, coriander, mocha, and cherry liquor. The tannins build in intensity for a wonderful finish. 117 Cases Produced.
| Vintage | 2014 |
| Varietal | 100% Cabernet Franc |
| Appellation | Red Mountain |
| Vineyard | Ciel du Ceval |
| Designation | Ciel du Cheval Vineyard |
| Fermentation | 100% Open Top Fermenter |
| Alcohol | 14.60% |
| Wine Style | Red Wine |
| Volume | 750 ml |
91 Points, Vinous
Eric Guido, 1/44/2024.
A sweetly enticing bouquet of dusty florals, exotic spices and medicinal black cherries introduces the 2014 Cabernet Franc Ciel du Cheval. Round and pliant, this soothes with its savory red fruits and inner herbal tones as silty tannins slowly mount. The 2014 finishes dry and youthfully structured, leaving nuances of licorice to taper off. Drink from 2026-2028.
91 Points, Decantur
Clive Pursehouse, 12/2/2022.
An aromatic Cabernet Franc from three different clones planted in Ciel du Cheval, this wine offers notes of roasted hatch pepper, savoury anise, black plum and green pepper. The palate is reflective of the aromatics, accenting savoury and vegetal notes of pepper with white pepper spice and a core of sappy black fruit.
91 points
Anthony Meuller, The Wine Advocate. October 2021
Instantly impressive in the glass, the 2014 Cabernet Franc offers seductive, dark red berry tones that sachet out of the glass with notions of roasted red plum, velvety brown baking spices and a kiss of volatility. Medium to full-bodied, the wine possesses both power and finesse as it glides over the palate, offering layers of complexity with fine-grained tannins. The Cabernet Franc continues to unpack its secrets over its elongated finish and should have no problem lasting to the end of this decade. Give it a try.
