2018 La Jota Cabernet Franc
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Tasting notes
The 2018 Cabernet Franc is all varietal and offers a rich, medium to full-bodied style with plenty of dark, chocolately fruit as well as notes of tobacco, leafy herbs, and graphite. It has some upfront appeal, with beautiful fruit, but there are ample mountain tannins, and it’s going to benefit from a solid 2-4 years of bottle age.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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The 2018 Cabernet Franc is fabulous. Like all of these wines, the La Jota Franc is a wine from Howell Mountain first and foremost. Black cherry, gravel, spice, leather, licorice and intense mineral notes infuse the Franc with so much energy and character. I would give the tannins a few years to soften. This is another super distinctive, ample wine from La Jota. The oak is a bit prominent at this stage, but it dissipates with time as more red-toned Franc nuances emerge.
Made from 100% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Cabernet Franc Howell Mountain was aged for 22 months in oak, 65% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it opens with a lifted, perfumed nose of red roses, kirsch, red plums and red currant jelly, followed by hints of mulberries, pencil shavings and fragrant earth. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is jam-packed with taut, muscular red fruit, framed by firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing long with loads of earthy sparks. 547 cases were made.