Michael David Winery Inkblot Cabernet Franc 2013
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Robert -
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Wilfred
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Pair with: Any kind of mushrooms, olives or red sauce pasta.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Cabernet Franc Inkblot is a whopper of a wine and a stunner, given the fact that I don’t think I have ever tasted a Cabernet Franc from Lodi at this level of complexity and richness. Dense purple in color, with a beautiful fragrant nose of blue and black fruits, as well as forest floor and floral notes, it has terrific intensity, full-bodied opulence, and a stunning finish that makes for a gorgeous Cabernet Franc to drink over the next decade or more. The good news is that there are 2,500 cases of it.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a high-powered, full-bodied wine. The aromas are like toasted baguette slices, vanilla and nutmeg, the flavors do a good impression of dark chocolate and blackberry, and the texture is saturated with fine tannins that give all those flavors plenty of support and lip-smacking appeal.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Cabernet Franc from Lodi? Well, what do you know? I would not have thought about this area growing this Bordeaux varietal, but here we are and the 2013 Michael David Winery Inkblot Cabernet Franc is pretty fine. Not like drinking a Médoc blend, this varietal bottling is grapey rich and flamboyant on the palate. Definitely calls for a rib-eye of beef. Deep ruby color; excellent aroma of dried herbs and sweet dust, black fruit abounds nicely; medium bodied, textured, with sweet tannins on the palate; dry, medium acidity, well balanced; bright black fruit, sweet oak and rich earth; long finish, lusty aftertaste. (Tasted: March 22, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
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"Michael" and "David" are Michael and David Phillips, brothers whose family has farmed fruits and vegetables in the Lodi region since the 1850s and cultivated wine grapes for nearly a century. Michael and David constitute the 5th generation of grape growers in the Phillips family, with the 6th generation now joining the family business.
The Phillips family likes to emphasize the importance of quality wines with unique and fun labels. Wine makers Adam Mettler, Derek DeVries and Jeff Farthing specialize in producing Lodi’s famous Old Vine Zinfandels, as well as Rhone varietals such as Ancient Vine Cinsault and Syrah for Michael David Winery.
Farming with future generations in mind, the Phillips have adopted some of the most progressive sustainable farming practices in the state. All 800 acres of the family’s vineyards are third party certified, and the state’s first per ton bonus was issued for contracted growers to follow in the family’s footsteps.
Cabernet Franc, a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, is the subtler and more delicate of the Cabernets. Today Cabernet Franc produces outstanding single varietal wines across the wine-producing world. Somm Secret—One of California's best-kept secrets is the Happy Canyon appellation of Santa Barbara. Here Cabernet Franc shines as a single varietal wine or in blends, expressing sumptuous fruit, savory aromas and polished tannins.
Positioned between the San Francisco Bay and the Sierra Nevada mountain range, the Lodi appellation, while relatively far inland, is able to maintain a classic Mediterranean climate featuring warm, sunny days and cool evenings. This is because the appellation is uniquely situated at the end of the Sacramento River Delta, which brings chilly, afternoon “delta breezes” to the area during the growing season.
Lodi is a premier source of 100+ year old ancient Zinfandel vineyards—some dating back as far as 1888! With low yields of small berries, these heritage vines produce complex and bold wines, concentrated in rich and voluptuous, dark fruit.
But Lodi doesn’t just produce Zinfandel; in fact, the appellation produces high quality wines from over 100 different grape varieties. Among them are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc as well as some of California's more rare and unique grapes. Lodi is recognized as an ideal spot for growing Spanish varieties like Albarino and Tempranillo, Portugese varieties—namely Touriga Nacional—as well as many German, Italian and French varieties.
Soil types vary widely among Lodi’s seven sub-appellations (Cosumnes River, Alta Mesa, Deer Creek Hills, Borden Ranch, Jahant, Clements Hills and Mokelumne River). The eastern hills are clay-based and rocky and in the west, along the Mokelumne and Cosumnes Rivers, sandy and mineral-heavy soils support the majority of Lodi’s century-old own-rooted Zinfandel vineyards. Unique to Lodi are pink Rocklin-Jahant loam soils, mainly found in the Jahant sub-appellation.