Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard Hermann J. Wiemer Magdalena Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2023 750ml

A very pretty red with blackberry, black-cherry, flint and crushed-stone aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied with a firm, focused tannin structure under the poised fruit. Long and caressing. Complex and crunchy. Drink or hold.

Pristine red-berry, cedar and sandalwood aromas follow through to a medium body with juicy tannins and savory fruit. Toasted-oak character gives a smoky undertone. Solid and exciting. Drinking well now but will improve with age. Drink or hold.

Making a cabernet franc of this quality in the 2023 vintage is a major achievement. The fine tannins form a compact core, which gives this warmth, drive and energy. Plenty of licorice, tobacco leaf and spice at the long, surprisingly plush finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2025. (Stuart Pigott)

The 2022 Cabernet Franc is ripe and structured, benefiting from the dry vintage and gaining ample fruit concentration. Black raspberry, tobacco, new leather and oil-cured olive build layers in the glass, driven by juicy acids and chalky tannins. The 30% whole clusters are imperceptible. This was done almost entirely in stainless steel, yet there's great textural roundness and suppleness.<br/><br/>

The 2023 Cabernet Franc Magdalena Vineyard boasts slightly darker-hued fruit than the regular bottling, with the aromas tending toward black raspberries and black cherries. At the same time, it's perhaps a bit less leafy but still reasonably floral. In the mouth, the wine is medium- to full-bodied and silky-textured, with soft tannins that linger on the finish.

This offers a solid core of juicy black cherry and red currant notes laced with slightly spiky bay and rosemary hints. A cedar spine underpins the finish. Shows rusticity, but theres also character. Drink now through 2027. 500 cases made.