I. Brand & Family Wines Bayly Ranch Cabernet Franc 2019
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A great locale for Cabernet Franc to exhibit Loire-like structure overlaid with the bright fruit befitting California sunshine. Picked at moderate sugars and vinified whole berry (10% whole cluster) with spontaneous yeasts and a 20 day maceration in open top fermenters. Aged 11 months on lees in neutral barrels and puncheons. Naturally bright and low alcohol.
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2018-
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wilfred
Wong
-
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wilfred
Wong
We did not set out to make these wines. We discovered great vineyards at the edge of sensible farming and decided to bring them to light.
The farther we looked, the more we found – remote, challenging vineyards, with hard depleted soils, and intense sunlight tempered only by the coastal breeze. Vineyards capable of producing only the most idiosyncratic wines. Our goal as winemakers is to lightly polish the roughest edges and leave the idiosyncrasy intact. It is here in the back country, filled with individual character, where Le P’tit Paysan comes to life.
We are not in "wine country." We have no trophy wineries, nor posh tasting salons. This is farm land, desolate hills, and solitude. What we do is simple, without artifice, and we enjoy it.
Winemaker Ian Brand puts a lot of miles on his car searching out and spending time in vineyards. He likes dirt roads, 12" vinyl, point breaks and hiding in the barrel room.
Cabernet Franc, a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, is the subtler and more delicate of the Cabernets. Today Cabernet Franc produces outstanding single varietal wines across the wine-producing world. Somm Secret—One of California's best-kept secrets is the Happy Canyon appellation of Santa Barbara. Here Cabernet Franc shines as a single varietal wine or in blends, expressing sumptuous fruit, savory aromas and polished tannins.
The warmest part of the greater San Benito AVA, but cooler than the Central Valley, the Paicines appellation excels in the production of concentrated and high-quality, red Bordeaux varietal wines and blends.