2012 The Prior Cabernet Franc
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Tasting notes
An absolutely profound wine is the 2012 Cabernet Franc The Prior. I don’t know what source Mike Hirby used for his Cabernet Franc, but this is a killer example of this varietal, which can do wonders in selected micro-climates in Napa. Forest floor, blueberry, black raspberry and acacia flowers all swirl from the glass in the complex aromatics offered up. It’s lovely texture, which is full-bodied, but light on its feet has produced a rather sublime example of Cabernet Franc that is supple, round, beautifully textured and quite pure with a positive finish. Drink it over the next decade.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(82% cabernet franc, 14% cabernet sauvignon and 4% petit verdot): Bright, dark red. Spicy aromas of blackberry, black cherry, graphite and cocoa. Primary and fresh in the mouth, with cassis, blueberry, licorice and sweet oak flavors lifted by a floral topnote. Finishes with strong but ripe tannins. Mike Hirby has only racked this wine twice to this point as he likes to preserve "the real character of the site" (in this case, 75% of the cabernet franc is from Stagecoach Vineyard).