2015 Block K5 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Franc - Sosie Wines

Fresh picked blackberry, chewing tobacco, mission fig. Dehydrated blueberry, ground eucalyptus leaf, chocolate cherry liqueur. Chopped basil and sarsaparilla root, coffee grounds and maple wood. Sappy and saturated mountain fruit featuring dark plum, medjool date, and violet concentrate attacks with noticeable weight, but then recedes reluctantly behind pine, crushed mint, and a touch of earl grey. Bitter dark chocolate, vanilla, and clove corroborate initial indications of new oak as iron and volcanic earth provide a rustic twang on the back palate. Brawny, structured, and well-constructed. This 2015 Block K5 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Franc by Sosie Wines is a beautiful beast from Napa Valley.

Napa is Cab country, but it's important to remember that Cabernet Sauvignon is not the only kind of Cab out there. Its genetic parent Cabernet Franc also thrives all over the Valley and can produce some remarkable single-varietal wine in the right hands. This bottling, crafted by boutique producer Sosie Wines from a single block of Stagecoach Vineyard Cab Franc, is a revelation Napa Cab aficionados need to experience. This wine has all of the muscular density and textural richness of the biggest cult Cab Sauvs, yet it trades sweetness for savory with an emphasis on deep dark pyrazines. Full bodied with medium plus tannin and acidity, this wine delivers extraction and viscosity in droves. It is ripe and juicy yet not overly fruit forward, dancing a unique dance between pure hedonism and philosophical contemplation. This wine a ton of fun.