Drink This: Jake Busching Wines 2021 Cabernet Franc
Wines like this are why Virginia is such an exciting place for cabernet franc lovers
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So, let’s head to the southernmost wine-producing state that I cover consistently—Virginia. I’ve been critical of the amount of new (not always high-quality) oak used by many Virginia winemakers, but many of my favorite reds when I was judging the preliminary round of the Virginia Governor’s Cup in mid-January were the cabernet francs. In fact, I think the cab franc flights I tasted were the most consistently delicious of them all.
Marketing organizations down there can cycle through other grapes as the “signature variety” du jour—viognier, petit verdot, tannat, etc. For me, Virginia is cab franc country, especially the cooler sites in the northern part of the state and at higher elevations.
Jake Busching 2021 Cabernet Franc ($37), which came as part of a Taste of Virginia wine club shipment several months ago, proves that point. Aged 10 months in neutral oak barrels, it also doesn’t taste like the vessels it was made in.
The nose is ripe with red and black fruits — blackberry, black cherry, and some brighter red raspberry — with a dusting of dark cocoa powder, and a streak of earthy leaf tobacco.
Medium-bodied, the palate showcases rounded, ripe fruit with the kind of mid-palate concentration that we don’t always get in New York, particularly in the Finger Lakes. The fruit flavors—more blackberry, cherry, and raspberry—are fresh, with subtle nuances of dried herbs, tobacco, and spice. The tannins are ripe and soft at the edges and combine with some welcome freshness to frame and balance all that ripe fruit flavor. Long and cola-spiced, the finish is dry and turns just a bit earthy at the very end.
Jake Busching Wines 2021 Cabernet Franc
Region: Monticello AVA (Virginia)
ABV: 13.1%
Production: 100 cases
Winemaking: Aged 10 months in neutral oak barrels
Rating: 92 pts
Price: $37 (Available Here)
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