Tasting Notes

The wine leads with an intriguingly complex aroma of cassis and black cherry/red cherry fruit. This is complemented by persistent notes of leather, violets and white pepper. It all coalesces into something that is distinctively, recognizably Cabernet Franc. On the palate the wine is medium weight and solidly structured. It has a firm, deep, creamy middle underneath a delicate, rose petaled texture. It finished with mellow, mild tannins and a blip of bright fruit that immediately takes you back for another sip. The wine is sleek and potent and filled with energy, delicious and tasty now, it is built for the long haul.

About the Wine

The 2021 Cabernet Franc is Smith-Madrone’s first bottling of a very interesting, useful and valuable variety. Most notably, Cabernet Franc is widely used as a blending grape in Bordeaux and the Napa Valley and it is made as a stand-alone variety in the Loire Valley, in Chinon and Bourgueil and in Argentina. It seems particularly well-suited to the Napa Valley, where it has proven capable of producing wines of sufficient quality and distinction that are able to challenge the king, Cabernet Sauvignon, in its own back yard. This very fine offering from Smith-Madrone can only bolster this contention and add luster to a rising star in the world of Napa Valley wine.

Our Spring Mountain pedigree insures deliciously integrated tannins and a long life-span. For fifty years our wines have been sourced from the same vineyards, pruned, cultivated and harvested in the same manner, creating artisanal wines which are distinctive and complex. Our goal is to produce wines which bring pleasure to all the senses. 

Winery Notes

A tribute to the Smith brothers and the predominant tree on the ranch. The Madrone is an evergreen with a red-brown trunk and branches. In spring the tree bears lily-of-the-valley-like flower clusters; in fall orange-red berries appear.

All wines made entirely from the winery's dry-farmed estate vineyards surrounding the winery on top of Spring Mountain in the Napa Valley. Stuart Smith chose specific slopes with different exposures for specific varietals when planting the vineyards: eastern exposure for Riesling, southern and western exposures across flat stretches for the Cabernet Sauvignon and the coolest north-facing slopes for the Chardonnay. There are numerous historical sights on the ranch, as well as the huge array of natural beauty and wildlife.