Leafing is performed that they credit with significantly reducing the pyrazine notes that Cabernet Franc can often carry, and whatever they are doing in this regard seems to be working. Oak, cedar, ripe black plums and blackcurrant, dried herbs, dried orange peel, and hints of saline all appear on the balanced and elegant (but as yet still quite young and reserved) nose. The palate also feels young, with good structure acting as scaffolding underneath the bright red plum and juicy black cherry fruit flavors in the mouth. It might be exuberant and excited in its youthful state, but make no mistake, there is power behind this red, and an incredibly long finish that hints at a great future ahead (think well-integrated toasty oak, blood orange, plenty of dried herbs, and even more chewy red fruits). The fruit is sourced from the Solatìo vineyard, where mature vines—many originally planted in the 1960s and identified again in the 1990s—now exceed forty years of age. The site is marked by sparse, rocky soils with a strong clay presence, conditions that naturally curb vigor and tend to yield more concentrated fruit. Aging takes place in French oak barriques over a period of roughly 18 to 24 months before release.
