2011 Crocker & Starr Cabernet Franc
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Tasting notes
(includes 2.5% malbec, which ripened earlier): Deep red-ruby. Classic cab franc aromas of blackberry, cassis, licorice and menthol. Dense and juicy, with black fruit flavors lifted by a violet quality and complicated by peppery spices and herbs. Perhaps not as purple-fruit in its character as usual for this bottling, but successful in the context of the year.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Crocker & Starr's 2011 Cabernet Franc is beautiful. Sweet tobacco, grilled herbs, mint, plums and blackberries all meld together in a delineated, vibrant Cabernet Franc long on class and personality. The 2011 isn't a huge wine, but it stands out for its energy, focus and pure drive. All the elements are in the right place. Sweet floral and savory notes round out the impeccable, polished finish.
The 2011 Cabernet Franc exhibits the vintage’s lightness and slight herbaceous character, but it comes across as a pretty wine offering notes of cherries, herbs and forest floor in a more Loire-like than Bordeaux style. Tel. (707) 967-9111
(14.6% alcohol): Dark red-ruby. Pungent aromas of crushed blackberry and blueberry, licorice, herbs, pepper and bitter chocolate. A tight, lean but aromatic midweight, showing modest sweetness to its dark berry and licorice flavors. Finishes a bit dry-edged but fresh.