2008 Saviez Private Reserve Cabernet Franc

Happy Saturday!  It's the first Saturday in June and that means it's cellar Saturday, that magical time when I open a bottle at least 10 years in the making!  Tonight I've opened a bottle of wine I literally found in my cellar a few weeks ago, as I didn't ever remember buying it!  I have a number of Saviez wines, mostly their Zinfandels, but this is a 2008 Private Reserve Cabernet Franc produced from their estate vineyard in Napa Valley.  I've let this wine get some air for about an hour, and I am a big fan of Cabernet Franc, so let's see what this one has to offer.

The wine is a deep, inky purple at the center, with garnet along the edges, very reminiscent of a Cabernet Sauvignon.  The nose is an interesting combination of ripe black fruit, dried Italian spices intermingled with notes of leather and butterscotch.  The taste is remarkably smooth, with lovely cool fruit notes up front, blueberry, cherry and raspberry that dance around some notes of green herbs and rose petals.  The tannins are remarkably vibrant and well structured after a decade, supporting a long, smooth and very dry finish that seems to last a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a fine example of the varietal and it's proven that it's ageworthy.  This wine would pair well with a variety of hearty dishes, from steak to barbecued ribs to hearty pasta dishes.  But tonight I am enjoying this wine with some classic tacos, with spicy sauce, tomatoes, avacado, baby greens and sour cream on corn tortillas.  Cheers!