Julie & Toby Bainbridge - "Highway8" VDF 2022 750ml (13%)

Cabernet Franc. Vinification : Semi-carbonic maceration, Unfined, unfiltered with no SO2.

fresh, lively and eminently drinkable. The Anjou district of the Loire Valley is some of the best terroir for the production of wines from Cabernet Franc. The southern exposure of Toby's vineyards means that the grapes get plenty of sun during the vital ripening time.

Julie & Toby Bainbridge who work four hectares of vines in Anjou, located in France's picturesque Loire Valley.

Tasting Notes: Plummy fruit, lightly piquant spice, and some earth demonstrate how rare this carbonically macerated Cab Franc is balanced, complex glou-glou. It is light and green but not rooty or stalkish. It is juicy without being a juicy bomb. It carries spice without offending the front of the palate. A gem from the Anjou (although the cuvee's name is an homage to a specific stretch of road stateside).

Vinification: 100% Cabernet Franc, from 85 year-old vines atop black schist soil. Hand-harvested, fermented with native yeasts in two fiberglass vats using the method of carbonic maceration. Slight CO2 is left in the bottle to protect/preserve the wine, so do not be surprised if there is slight effervescence. Unfined, unfiltered, no SO2 at bottling. 

100% organic Cabernet Franc from sun-drenched vines in Anjou. The grapes are hand-harvested and undergo a semi-carbonic fermentation. No CO2 is pumped into tank, yet a small amount may linger in the bottle, hence the slight fizzing sound (as well as potential effervescence) upon opening. Unfined, unfiltered with no SO2. 

Tasting Notes: With a burst of effervescence upon opening, this wine is immediately alive, fresh and immensely drinkable. On the nose, there's an oddball, slightly-savory, smoky, aroma of Jalapeño, mixed with notes ripe strawberry and other red berries. Crunchy, medium-bodied, with a dusting of tannin that coats the tongue. A familiar, much-loved style of Cab Franc coming from the Loire, but done with such flair and moxie that every sip feels novel.