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What We Say 2008 Los Chamizal Vineyard Cabernet Franc
SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:
Today’s Cabernet Franc from our friends at Mayo Family Winery is a wine of great distinction and quality, earning it this special designation. If you haven’t tried the wines from Mayo, this is one you won’t want to miss!
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Mission Codename: Franc-ly Sturdy
Operative: Agent White
Objective: Revisit our friends at Mayo Family Winery and acquire their delicious Los Chamizal Vineyard Cabernet Franc
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Mayo Family Winery
Wine Subject: 2008 Los Chamizal Vineyard Cabernet Franc
Winemaker: Michel Berthoud
Backgrounder:
Varietal Backgrounder: Cabernet Franc is one of Agent Red’s favorite red varietals. Perhaps this is because its flavors are often rich, layered, complex and elegant. Or, perhaps he loves Cabernet Franc so much because it pairs so exceptionally with many different foods. One of the most notable things about Cabernet Franc is the fact that finding excellent examples can be very difficult.
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Dense and dark garnet and magenta with a dark but clear core that shows garnet reflections when held to the light. The color remains dense to the very edge where it lighten only slightly and when swirled, clusters of randomly spaced thin legs creep down to the wine below.
Smell – Bold, bright and intense aromas of blackberry, black cherry and other dark berries leads you in and is following immediately by black licorice and dark earthy graphite notes. Complexity is added by sweet and green herbal notes, toasted oak and even spring flowers.
Feel – This very full-bodied and dry wine is smooth and rich upon entry but then a touch of spice along with firm and finely textured tannins that hit and are complimented by its tangy and lively acidity. Dusty minerals adds texture and this wine becomes noticeably rich and warm as it opens.
Taste – Rich, ripe and tangy black berries including the blackberry, black cherry and even boysenberry blend with baking spice to give an almost jammy and sentimental character initially Then notes of black licorice along with the herbal and floral components found on the nose make their appearance on the palate. Dark minerality and toasted oak adds depth but remains balanced and not overbearing.
Finish – Extremely long with this wine’s vibrant acidity and rich fruit leading the way on the finish. The other complex flavors all linger and then fade in unison providing a deep and generous mouth feel all the while inviting another sip.
Conclusion – The 2008 Los Chamizal Vineyard Cabernet Franc is a fantastic Cabernet Franc that shows great depth and character on the nose. Rich aromas and flavors paired with a sturdy mouthfeel with great acidity makes this wine great for food but also a wine that can be enjoyed completely on its own. A wine that is drinking wonderfully well right now (with time to breathe) but will continue to improve with some bottle aging. Pair this wine with barbecue baby grilled and seasoned meats or a hearty stew.
Mission Report:
Winemaker, Michel Berthoud, has proven too elusive for even us. We were unable to secure an interview with him for today’s featured wine. Be sure to check back, the next time we feature another fantastic Mayo Family wine.
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The approximate location of the Los Chamizal Vineyard in Sonoma Valley can be seen in this satellite photo.
What the Winery Says
Mayo Family Winery
About This Wine:
Los Chamizal Cabernet Franc is not for the faint of heart. This beautiful vineyard with its surrounding hillside-sitting vines always delivers concentrated fruit. Again this vintage the wine is dark and intense and filled with aromas of black, ripe fruit, licorice, violets and a touch of pencil lead. On the palate the same black fruit flavors emerge and mix with flavors of mint, blueberry, violet liqueur, and boysenberry. All this comes on a firm structure of tannins and acid that mellow on the mid palate. This Cabernet Franc will easily improve in the bottle for at least five years and live for 10-15 years.
About The Winery:
Mayo Family Winery produces small lots of single-vineyard wines under the premise that the world’s most interesting and highest quality wines must come from a single-vineyard source that can be expressed in the wines’ aroma, taste and texture. Founded in 1993, the winery has two winemaking facilities in Glen Ellen, California, each fitted and equipped to produce particular types of wines. Mayo Family wines are only sold online or in our tasting room attached to the winery in the town of Glen Ellen and our three other tasting rooms in Sonoma Valley; they are not distributed across the country.
Henry & Diana Mayo, Founder/Owners
Diane Mayo, after a lifetime of living in or around Sonoma Valley, decided in 1990 to raise some grapes. Her husband, Henry, cleared off a beautiful valley and in 1990 planted 3,000 Chardonnay vines. In 1993 they bottled their first 200 cases and dicovered it was very good. The following year, 1,200 cases were produced, and they were overwhelmed. Henry still had his day job as the Real Estate Broker with Frank Howard Allen, so they picked up the phone and called their son, Jeffrey—the rest is history! Today they love the wines that Michael Berthoud is making and they love their Sonoma Valley…making it all a match made in heaven.
Jeffrey H. Mayo, President
Since leaving his position in 1995 as Vice President of Acquisitions for one of California’s largest homebuilders, Jeffrey Mayo has lived and breathed wine. In large part, Mayo Family Winery is a combination of Jeffrey’s progressive and well-developed business expertise as well as his passion for wine. He is one of those wine lovers that seeks out the world’s most interesting wines, takes every opportunity to indulge his palate, and believes that any wine can be good if it engages your intellect as well as your senses. To that end, Jeffrey put the family’s winery on a path specializing in single vineyard wines. He realized early on that Mayo Family Winery had to take this road and never waver if its wines were to capture the imagination of wine lovers. Today, Jeffrey oversees sales and production. If he’s not selling Mayo Family wines he’s on a forklift moving bins of grapes or pallets of wine.
About The Winemaker:
Winemaker, Michel Berthoud – Formerly Winemaker for Arrowood Vineyards just down the road, Michel joined the Mayo Family Winery just prior to the start of the 2004 harvest. The many awards and accolades his Arrowood wines won and the following he created for himself were a result of the lesson he learned from Dick Arrowood and his own well-developed sense that winemaking is an artisan process that demands a feel for the land as well as an artist’s well honed technique. Born and raised in Sonoma Valley, Michel oversees all the winemaking at Mayo Family as well as works closely with the winery’s many grower partners.
Technical Analysis:
Alcohol: 14.5%
Appellation: Sonoma Valley
Vineyard Designation: Los Chamizal Vineyard
Varietal: Cabernet Franc
Year: 2008
