Once again one of my favorite proverbs proves true.  It says, "Three things are important in life: someone to love, something to do and something to hope for." The last item is fulfilled in Santa Barbara County for those searching for a delicious, well-made Cabernet Franc wine.  Santa Barbara County is brimming with excellent Cabernet Francs.  This year at the KCBX Wine Classic, among the many excellent events and programs, we tasted delicious Cabernet Francs at a Sunday Brunch at the Cliffs Hotel.

Bryan Babcock says of his wine, the 1998 Fathom Cabernet Franc, $30: "Fathom is Cabernet Franc and it has featured it for some time. Most people have thought of Santa Barbara as a grape region for pinot noir.  Next, it was syrah.  Now it’s turned to the Bordeaux varietals. I was a skeptic at first. I wanted to make Sangiovese and the Italians were blending it with cabernet sauvignon so I said, okay, if that’s what I need to do to make a good Sangiovese, so be it. So I planted Bordeaux and I found out how good the Cabernet Franc tasted.  In St. Emilion it’s the dominant grape—and the reason is the soil. My program is open ended—to make Cabernet Franc the best wine possible. Santa Inez is a maritime valley and offers infinite opportunities: pinot noir, syrah, and now cabernet franc. I see a much greater influence coming from this grape in Santa Barbara County, down the line."   (SJE tasting notes read: lovely aromatics, perfumy fruit-forward, boysenberry cobbler, ripe and rich—nice palate feel, it’s a fabulous, luscious wine, loved it!)

Stephen Bedford says of his wine, the 1997 Bedford Thompson Cabernet Franc $20, "We thought we had a wonderful opportunity here with Cabernet Franc. My partner’s vineyard has low vigor, reaches ripeness as low sugar; there’s a lot of stress to the vines and we keep alcohol low to avoid imbalance. We do open top fermentation and barrel aging and no fining."  (SJE notes read:complexity, dusty, hay, toasty, empyreumatic, char-oak, subtle plum, subtle herbals, mild leather, tea, dry, tightly structured.)

Steve Glossner says of the 1997 Adelaida Res.Cabernet Franc, Viking Ranch (single vineyard) $40, "The vineyard is key.  I've been winemaker for 1= years.  My family owns 2000 acres west of Paso Robles. It looked like the worst possible place to grow grapes—25% grade on rocky soil (pH 8), and produces a unique style of wines. It allows closer spacing, smaller yields per vine and smaller vines produce wines with a lot of power. But the site determines wine power more than anything. Natural yeasts are used. We treat it like a white wine. It’s on 110 R rootstock."  (SJE notes read: Adelaida is beautifully aromatic, coconut, gardenia, medley of ripe berries, perfumy, chewy sweet tannins, concentrated—and it’s only a barrel sample!)

Jacques Lurton presented his 1998 Araucano Cabernet Franc, Chile.  He says, "Pacific Ocean influences vines. We fight herbaceousness (due to cool nights) and try to locate where there are warmer nights. We need high sugars to find the right phenolic ripeness—25 brix. This wine is from a difficult year."    (SJE notes read: subtle nose, empyreumatic, understated herbal nose, forest floor, hints of earth, unctuous, mushroom.)

Winemaker Craig Macmillan says of his 1997 Stolpman 55%Cabernet Franc/45% Merlot, Santa Inez Valley, $25 (660 cases)   "I think we have a long to go with the Bordeaux varietals because of the American palate. I think we come from a varietal- centric view but around the world it is not necessarily so. I’ve been drawn more and more to cabernet franc, but in cooler areas you’re not going to get the high sugars. It starts out herbal and goes toward spice. I like the synthetic closures—wines age more slowly with them (I want to remove the CO2 and gaseousness that cork mitigates)."  (SJE notes read: stunning wine, perfumy, big and rounded, complex nose, fruit forward, integrated, nice oak, tea, chocolate, mocha, multiple berries, ripe and spicy, lovely and elegant, balanced, tight but luscious tannins.)

"Dinner at Seven Peaks Winery"   I discovered the delightful food of Chef Rick a couple of years ago at the KCBX Wine Classic.  It seemed he was preparing hors d'oeuvres or luncheon or dinner at every event  I attended.  Little did I know when I selected Seven Peaks Winery (www.7peaks.com) for the KCBX Winery Dinner event that Chef Rick had been hired, so I was doubly blessed--excellent and delicious wines with a superb dinner.
    According to Sales Manager Linda Parker, "Seven Peaks, established in 1996, is a joint venture between Southcorp Wines of Australia and the Niven family of California's Central Coast.  The Nivens supply grapes and vineyard expertise, and Southcorp provides the  winemaking skills.  With approximately 15,000 acres of vineyards in Australia's primary growing regions, and including Penfolds and Lindemans among its wineries, Southcorp is the leading vineyard owner in Australia and has planted over 400 acres of new vineyards in Paso Robles, consisting of shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, zinfandel and mourvedre."                                                                                                                                     The   wines are also an example of excellent drinking.  Fresh and filled with fruit and layers of flavors, they paired beautifully with Chef Rick's creations.  By the way, his bistro-style restaurant--Chef Rick's--is in Santa Maria about 40 miles from Seven Peaks Winery.
    The Niven family, independent wine growers who pioneered viticulture in the Central Coast's Edna Valley more than 25 years ago, now farm more than 1,000 acres. The Paragon Vineyard in the Edna Valley is renowned primarily for its distinctive Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  The Niven family has recently established Stagecoach Vineyard in Paso Robles, which has been planted with shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel.                                                                                                 
   Winemaker Ian Shepherd uses classic Australian winemaking methods to produce the Seven Peaks red and white varietals from grapes grown on the
Central Coast--primarily the Edna Valley and Paso Robles appellations.    Shepherd also works directly with other respected grape growers on the Central Coast, saying "Southcorp's Australian philosophy of multi-regional blending produces consistent, complex, high quality wines.

THE WINEMAKER, Ian Shepherd  has19 years of global winemaking experience since obtaining his enology degree from Australia's respected Roseworthy College.   He worked harvests in France and South Africa prior to joining the Seppelt winery, now part of Southcorp Wines, in Australia's Barossa Valley as Assistant Winemaker in 1985. He was promoted to Winemaker in 1987. In 1989 Ian moved to Seppelt's Great Western winery in Victoria as  winemaker.
WINEMAKER IAN SHEPHERD'S COMMENTS
1998 Chardonnay, Central Coast    "Pale straw-green color, tropical fruit aromas with hints of melons and peaches, toasty French oak, afresh and lively palate  with good fruit concentration and a substantial mouthfeel, lingering finish. This modern California Chardonnay puts fruit at the forefront of the flavor profile."
1997 Reserve Chardonnay, Edna Valley "made entirely from Nivens' world class Paragon Vineyard in  Edna Valley, attractive citrus and tropical aromas with toasty French oak in the background. The use of tight grained French oak gives the wine structure without imparting an overt oak flavor. The flavor combines rich mid-palate fruit with nutty characters from the partial malolactic fermentation. Extended lees contact contributed to the excellent texture, depth and complexity. The wine's finish is zesty and refreshing and lingers with classic melon like Chardonnay flavors."                                                                                                                                                                                                          1998 Pinot Noir, Edna Valley "The color is a deep garnet red. The nose displays dark cherry aromas with hints of spice, tobacco and plums with toasty French oak in the background. The palate is rich and elegant with sweet cherry fruit flavors and shows classic Pinot Noir varietal characters with a long, soft finish."
1998 Merlot, Central Coast   "Bright brick red with a nose of ripe berry fruit, dark cherries aromas, blackberries and hints of spiced cedar. The palate is soft with generous amounts of sweet fruit providing richness and a velvety texture. Soft tannins and spicy Merlot varietal fruit are evident on the finish."
1998 Shiraz, Paso Robles 1997 Cabernet Shiraz, Central Coast      "The 1998 Shiraz was made from select fruit sourced primarily from Paso Robles, a viticultural area ideal for growing classic Shiraz similar to fruit coming from premium vineyards found in Southeastern Australia. The color shows a deep ruby red with a purple tint.   The nose displays a mix of black currant, pepper and smoky oak with a spiciness typical of shiraz. The cooler 1998 growing season in Paso Robles produced Shiraz wines with plenty of spice and pepper character which will also benefit from careful cellaring."
1998 Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Coast  "Our 1998 Cabernet is made from fruit selected from three high quality Central Coast appellations. The color exhibits a deep ruby red with some purple tints. The nose shows ripe berry fruit with hints of mint and tobacco leaf. The aroma is enhanced by a background of
sweet cedary oak. The palate displays typical Cabernet flavors, combining both blackberry and mint characters to produce a soft yet concentrated wine."