Detert Family Vineyards Cabernet Franc Oakville 2019

The Detert family’s long history in the Napa Valley dates as far back as 1953. In that year, the mutual great-grandparents of Detert winemaker Tom Garrett and his cousins Alex and Graeme MacDonald (founders of MacDonald Vineyards) purchased a portion of the historic To Kalon Vineyard along the Western hills of Oakville (at $750 an acre no less). This jewel-box property is an ideal location for grape growing with vineyard blocks built upon an alluvial fan that had eroded down from the Mayacamas Mountains thousands of years prior. As a result, the vines sit on a slightly elevated piece of land above the valley floor on top of four distinctive soils containing alluvial deposits. The structure and composition of these rocky soils dramatically affects the grapes’ character. In particular, the old vines growing on the Detert property struggle to survive and, consequently, produce a smaller crop with significantly smaller berries. This factor results in Detert grapes that are intensely flavored and concentrated with a bouquet of alluring aromas. 

Today, only a small handful of wineries are fortunate enough to grow grapes on the historic To Kalon tract, initially planted in the 1870s. Robert Mondavi still owns the lion’s share of this 600-acre plot, while Opus One has several larger blocks, and finally, world-renowned grape grower, Andy Beckstoffer, manages a portion of the vineyard, selling his fruit at top dollar to myriad winemakers. Finally, the MacDonald brothers tend to less than 15 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, while their cousin, Tom Garrett, focuses solely on 17 acres of immaculately farmed Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards. Tom produces these elite wines under his DETERT label…

The 2019 is a blend of fruit from some of the property’s oldest vines, as well as those that Tom’s grandfather replanted in 1979, and finally some younger vines that Tom replanted in 2012 and 2015. This vintage contains a small amount of Detert Cabernet Sauvignon. Gorgeous aromas of black cherry, blackberry, black tea, dark chocolate, and black pepper with background notes of tobacco leaf and graphite. Incredibly textured on the palate with a lush, velvety enveloping structure. Long and complex with layers of floral dark fruits, minerality, and savory herb. This Cabernet Franc is bright, fresh and lively with richness and complexity. Delicious now after a hearty decant and destined to be a long-lived Cabernet Franc that will bring pleasure for decades.