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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Arcturos 2008 Cabernet Franc: Review


Black Star Farms
Old Mission Peninsula
Suttons Bay, Michigan, USA
12% abv
$29.50 a bottle

When I was in Traverse City this summer I bought one bottle of this wine and took it back to the hotel to see if I really liked it.  The wine seemed tasty when I sampled it, I really like Cabernet Franc on top of that, but sampling is different than sitting back with a full glass of wine. 

Well, I was back at the Black Star store, located in the Village at Grand Traverse Commons, buying the few bottles they had left of this vintage.  Yes, I really liked this one.

Appearance: garnet body with some ruby highlights. This looks like it is going to be a medium-full bodied Franc.

Aroma: blackberry, soil earthiness, little smoky.  Overall, a nice little nose. 

Flavors: tasty blackberry, spice, mineral soil, smoky with a hint of oak on the finish (toasted oak). 

Mouthfeel: thick, close to the jammy side, tannins and acidity while present were under control, lingering dark berries that just coat the old teeth and gums. 

My Strength Rating: 7.5 – the lingering notes and the ‘almost jammy’ style kicks it up a notch. 

To the Point: This is my type of Cab Franc.  Nice earthy tones, blackberry without being bitter, spice without being too peppery.  If you want a good quality Franc find this in a store near you and give it a try.  This is a very worthy wine to try.  Don’t forget – Black Star Farms is out of it – the wine that is.   

1 comment:

  1. Looking at the date of the original posting it has been almost a year to the date since I had this tasty Cab Franc by Black Star Farms.

    I is just as tasty as when I did the review one year ago. This wine is aging just fine. I have a few more bottles and I am looking forward to aging them.

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