Quick Sip: Delaplane Cellars 2007 Cabernet Franc
I recently revisited a few old friends I had tucked deep in the back of the Eurocave, to see how they were holding up. Wine doesn’t always get better with time, so I routinely check wines I have been storing when I have several bottles of the same wine. The 2007 Virginia growing season turned out some very nice white wines and gave growers the option to make riper-styled, balanced, and well-structured red wines. Delaplane Cellars, who opened in the fall of 2009, had one of the best openings I have seen in Virginia. The spacious tasting room is attractive and features wall-to-wall, full-length windows that give way to views worthy of a “Welcome to Fauquier County” postcard. The staff is well-trained and friendly, and most importantly – they opened up with a solid line-up of Virginia-grown wines. In particular, their red wines, which benefited from an exceptional 2007 growing season.
Delaplane Cellars 2007 Old World Cabernet Franc
One of the more savory and lighter red wines Delaplane Cellars produced in 2007 was the Old World Cabernet Franc. It contains a splash of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon for added structure and complexity. The name of the wine [Old World …] and low-to-moderate alcohol level [12.5% ABV] is suggestive of the style of wine to expect in the bottle. Upon removing the cork, it was apparent that it would need decanting [see tip of cork]; not so much to let the wine breathe, but to remove the wine from its sediment. Sediment isn’t harmful if swallowed, but after you swallow a mouth full once, you probably won’t let it happen a second time.
Beautiful Tasting Room w/ Large Picture Windows
In the glass, the wine is [medium] crimson in color with a slightly faded rim. It’s rather restrained [not fruit forward/ripe], even more so than I recall last time I opened a bottle. The nose offers soft cherry, wild berry, olive-like and dried herbal scents that are balanced by leather, sweet tobacco leaf and dusty minerality/earthy aromas/flavors. In the mouth, she’s light-to-medium in body with supple tannins and good supporting acidity, ending with a lightly bitter finish of medium length. It paired nicely with my pepper-crusted pork loin dinner. At the time, I believe this wine sold for around $25. I think I have a few bottles left and will likely finish them off this year or early next year. Delaplane Cellars is located in Delaplane, Virginia [Fauquier County] and specializes in single-vineyard wines and blends. This particular vintage probably is not available in the tasting room anymore, but the new 2010 reds are. This reminds me, I need to visit the tasting room and taste those wines myself now that they are bottled and ready to go. Have a grape week ahead, my friends. Cheers!
Click here to visit Delaplane Cellars' website.
Have a question about this post, friends? Feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail at myvinespot@yahoo.com, and as always, Happy Sipping! Stay tuned ...more to come.
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