Raymond Burr Vineyards
2009 Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
California: Sonoma County
Mission Briefing
A Wine whose name is Franc
Today marks the long-awaited return of what is certainly our most popular Cabernet Franc producing wineries of these last six years! We’ve missed you, Raymond Burr Vineyards and we are so thrilled to be showcasing your remarkable 2009 Sonona Valley Cabernet Franc, today.
A true delight from first sniff, wine is a treat to inhale. Long before taking a sip, we found ourselves sticking our noses deeply into our glasses, reveling in wondrous aromatics.
On the palate, the wine is very pleasing. Lacking any of the problems that can often plague this varietal, today’s Cab Franc behaves more like a premium Cabernet Sauvignon, delivering delicious fruit, great tannin structure and a wonderful mouth feel, with an up-front grippiness that becomes softer and more elegant the longer the wine breathes. This wine is Cab Sauv-like in this regard but it is also, unmistakably, a Franc. The wine does have dark fruit, but it is also bright and very food-friendly.
Very highly recommended, enjoy this super versatile treat with a wide variety of pairings. For a vegetarian delight, pair this wine a mushroom tortellini. Four our meat lovers, spareribs, a hearty grilled beef burger or roasted quail would be superb.
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Deep and dark with concentrated dark ruby hues from core to edge. Bright and translucent, this wine picks up room light and reflects it. |
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| Smell: | Lush, richly layered and brimming with aromas, this wine leads with dark black fruit of blackberry, cassis and dark plum. As it breathes, it expands to include rich layers of tobacco, dark spice, cedar, bakers chocolate, black cherry and a hint of dusty earth. |
| Taste: | Light black pepper at the tip of the tongue, with flavors of black cherry, blackberry and unsweetened dried cranberry. The wine coast the mouth with these initial flavors. Then, softer flavors of candy apple, red currant, subtle baking spice and chocolate appear. |
| Finish: | Elegant and rich with exceptional balance and lovely, soft tannins that invite you to enjoy slow, lingering sips. |
| Pairing: |
What the Winery Says
“Rich and layered with touches of cedar and espresso, this wine has comples dried berry flavors with a hint of dusty overtones from our hillside terrior. Drinkable now, it will mature and age for the next few years.” Phyllis Zouzounis, Winemaker.
About the Winery
Raymond Burr and Robert Benevides had met in the middle 1950s on the television program which was to make a legend of Burr, “Perry Mason.” In 1976 Benevides, on the advice of his father, purchased an eminently desirable farm in the Dry Creek Valley and in the following months Burr and Benevides traveled in northern California, the scene of both their young lives, and Benevides took Burr to see his property in Sonoma County.
Around this time, the Dry Creek Valley was in transition; having for a long while produced hops, and then prunes, the area was just beginning to be recognized as the prime terrain for grape-growing that it now is. By 1980 the Burr/Benevides partnership had moved their orchid nurseries to the valley and work on the manzanita covered benchlands began. The grapes were planted in 1986: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, and, for the proprietors, a small section of Port–the bareroot stock imported from Portugal.
In 1990 the beautiful Southeast-facing vineyards produced their first vintage, which was released in 1995.
Winemaker Phyllis Zouzounis
Phyllis is not new to the Dry Creek Valley. She began her winemaking career working at Dry Creek Vineyard in 1980. After 15 years of experience there she moved on as winemaker and general manager of Mazzocco Vineyards. In 1987 Phyllis and her partner, Jim Penpraze, started their own Dry Creek winery, Deux Amis. making award winning Zinfandels.
The 100% estate grown vineyards at Raymond Burr offer Phyllis the challenge to produce great Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and rich, fruity Chardonnay. “Great wine starts in the vineyard with quality grapes. The Raymond Burr vineyard is a good example of this,” she will tell you. “Because it is an estate vineyard winery, this allows Raymond Burr Vineyards to create and preserve the quality in the vineyard first and then follow through to the finished wine.”
Phyllis is a great believer in balance. “My focus is balance. Balance of the vine, balance of the fruit and balance in the wine.”