Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesTasted as a barrel sample and what should be a good value, the 2016 Cabernet Franc Two-Fourteen (100% Cabernet Franc aged mostly in once and twice used oak) offers a terrific minerality as well as classic notes of black cherries, spring flowers and liquid violet. Medium to full-bodied, textured, ripe and even opulent, it’s a terrific looking barrel sample.
Barrel Sample: 90-93
The 2016 Cabernet Franc Two-Fourteen is made of 100% Clone 214 Cabernet Franc. It has a deep purple-black color and lovely black and red cherries, raspberries and spices with fragrant earth, pencil shavings and cardamom. The palate is medium to full-bodied, soft, juicy, perfumed and long. Nicely done!
This is a bright, herbal offering of the variety, 100% represented here, that is richly concentrated in black fruit, lavender and licorice. Acidity keeps it fresh and helps to underscore its essential herbaceousness and earthy black pepper.
John and Tracey Skupny have spent most of their adult lives involved with wine and wineries. Their love affair with wines has finally resulted in the creation of their own venture ("At last!" - as many of their friends would say.). Through connections built up over decades, John has been able to source prime vineyards for what are arguably the best examples, to date, of Napa Valley Cabernet Franc. With vineyard sources as diverse as Calistoga , Atlas Peak, Rutherford and St. Helena, the Skupnys have given us wines that delight the palate.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.