2010 Watkins Family "Bugay Vineyard" Moon Mountain District Cabernet Franc

When I bought these library wines from Randall Watkins, I knew that the "Bismark" Cabernet Sauvignon would likely hold most people's attention. However, this absolutely beautiful Cabernet Franc from Bugay Vineyard, also high on Moon Mountain, was just too good to pass up. Stylistically, it sits more in the Right Bank Bordeaux genre rather than Loire. It's a powerful wine with plenty of earthy, dark fruit and a core of mountain tannin. It does, however, also capture the stunning aromatics of the varietal so well—dried herbs, pipe tobacco, bay laurel, and singed cedar. Slightly lighter in the glass than the Bismark Cab, but no less flavorful and impactful on the palate, this is such a delicious, complex layered wine. I truly enjoyed letting it evolve in the glass over the course of the evening. Don't be afraid to give it a good decant, as it will keep on giving with more air.