Hello October! It’s hard to believe there are only three months left of 2024.
These last few weeks I’ve been deep in research, planning and production mode to organize what wines and regions I want to cover in my video deep dives for the remainder of the year. Among these may include two features from both Chile and Argentina - countries where there are some exciting things happening with Cabernet Franc, but I haven’t covered them to the extent they deserve.
Chile, in particular, doesn’t see much time in the spotlight for their expressions of Cabernet Franc even though their plantings of the variety are not too far off those of Argentina (1,592 hectares versus 1,857 hectares, respectively). I suspect this has as much to do with the fact that examples of single varietal Cabernet Franc from Chile aren’t as widely exported (to North America at least) as their Argentinian counterparts, but I also think Chile has had a harder time shaking their “cheap wine producer” image and is a little bit behind Argentina in marketing themselves as a “premium” wine producer beyond the handful of icon examples that represent the top of Chile’s qualitative wine pyramid.
One producer who set out from the get-go to establish themselves in the “premium” or “boutique” category is Garage Wine Co., which quite literally began in the garage of husband and wife team Derek Mossmann Knapp and Pilar Miranda in 2003. With their focus on vinifying small lots from select single vineyard sites from across Central Chile, Derek and Pilar are among a small yet growing number of producers seeking to tell a different story about the terroirs and wines of Chile. And it just so happens that Cabernet Franc has become one of their calling cards, with their two single vineyard expressions: the Pirque Vineyard from the Pirque DO in Maipo and the Las Higueras Vineyard from the Loncomilla Valley in Maule.
I featured the 2017 Pirque Vineyard Cabernet Franc for a video deep dive back in January 2022, so given my current headspace, I thought it warranted checking in on how this wine was shaping up with an additional two and a half years in the bottle.
The nose opens with a rather seductive array of Bordeaux-esque Cabernet Franc aromas reminiscent of blackcurrant, Bing cherry, Italian plum with the slightest hint of green fig, layered with cedar wood, cured tobacco, and a touch of leather. The aromatics are pure, ripe but not overripe, and nuanced, with pleasant herbal undertones of dried marjoram and mint, and even a most distinctive note of hoja santa, which takes me back to a meal I had at Pujol in Mexico City last spring. Cabernet Franc’s varietal character really starts to sing on the palate, with those herbal and earthy notes coming forward in a much more pronounced yet balanced way. The wine has also gained some tertiary complexity with added layers of dark chocolate, liquorice, allspice, cinnamon, and a bit of black olive tapenade. Plush and richly-textured, with luxurious, cashmere-like tannins that marries seamlessly with fresh, cleansing acidity, the wine structure and fruit have become a bit better integrated with time resulting in a more harmonious palate experience. Full bodied and structured with some well-toned muscular definition that isn’t at all bulky, the wine shows its warm climate origins while being elegant, balanced and remaining true to the grape’s character. This is just the sort of Cabernet Franc I’d want to curl up with as the temperatures begin to get cooler, perhaps paired alongside something meaty and saucy that was braised low and slow.
What is particularly wonderful about Garage Wine Co’s tandem of Cabernet Francs is they very much offer the wine lover a yin-and-yang Cab Franc experience. The Pirque Vineyard leans more in a decidedly Right Bank Bordeaux style, and it would not be out of place alongside many tried and true examples from that part of France. In contrast, the Las Higueras Vineyard is remarkably light on its feet and appeals to those who appreciate Loire-like sensibilities in their Cabernet Franc, while still remaining true to Maule’s Mediterranean terroir. Both are fine examples of grape and place, and showcase just how well Cabernet Franc can be a mirror for great terroir.
If you’re interested to learn more about the Las Higueras Vineyard Cabernet Franc, I also featured the 2018 vintage in a video deep dive, which is available to watch on YouTube.