Palazzo 2009
Cabernet Franc

The new vintage of PALAZZO 2009 Cabernet Franc is delicate & aromatic - yet again another beautiful example of just how delicious Cabernet Franc from Napa Valley can be! The wine is showing wonderfully right now with gorgeous floral tones of crushed violets, lavender and red cherries laced throughout the nose. On the palate the wine dances with an elegance & finesse rarely seen in Napa Valley Cabernet Franc. The acidity & structure show a purity & balance revealing crushed cherries, black currants & red raspberry fruit – with a spiciness and hint of earth & minerality. The mouth feel is rich & pure, with a lovely supple mid-palate texture – along with a wonderful, elegant finish!

For those of you who aren’t aware, the 2009 vintage was a difficult one that threw all of us in Napa Valley quite a curve ball.  In fact, the 2009 growing season is on record as the coldest vintage ever recorded in Napa Valley!  As a result, I was forced to drop tons of fruit (“green harvest”) in the vineyard mid-summer in an attempt to fully ripen the remaining fruit.  Heartbreak!  My work at harvest on the sorting table was also the most painstakingly selective process in the history of Palazzo Wine… and that’s saying a lot! By hand-harvesting and hand-sorting the precious clusters of Cabernet Franc I was able to create a wine I’m exceptionally proud of.  However, please be aware that instead of reaching my goal of producing 600 cases to satisfy the demand of both my restaurant accounts across the country, as well as a growing legion of Palazzo Wine collectors, I ended up with 200 beautiful cases.  This is why if you’d like to stock your cellar with this new vintage – and I wholeheartedly recommend you do! - I’m forced to impose a 6-bottle maximum allocation. 

My love affair with the wines produced from the Bordeaux region of France began over 30 years ago.  Particularly, wines from the small, family owned Chateau’s that dot the rolling hillsides of the beautiful  ‘Right Bank’ countryside of St. Emilion & Pomerol.  It is from there that my inspiration and passion for producing PALAZZO WINE continues to come.

      Our goal at PALAZZO WINE is, and always will be, to produce beautiful wines of outstanding quality, with distinction and class!  Wines that are both ‘powerful and elegant’ …  and pair well with a broad range of foods … reminiscent of the style and quality of wines that come from the wonderful ‘Right Bank’ region of Bordeaux, Franc!

~ A votre sante! . . .  Scott Palazzo