2022 La Jota Cabernet Franc Howell Mountain

WSI97 DEC98 Cabernet Franc has been made continuously at La Jota since 1976, says winemaker Chris Carpenter. Due to the wine’s growing popularity, additional Cabernet Franc vines were planted at both the Keyes and La Jota estate vineyards. The 2022 is utterly gorgeous. Most of the fruit was already off the vine before the late-season heatwave arrived—and if it wasn’t, it was in cooler zones anyway, Carpenter notes. The wine is dark-fruited, led by pure blackberry and black cherry wrapped in tobacco, with stunning herbal and floral aromatics. The palate is full-bodied and precise, featuring firm, fine-grained mountain tannins that are both powerful and refined. Layers of black truffle and loamy earth add intrigue, gliding toward a long, savoury finish of graphite and sagebrush. Tension-filled, pure-fruited, and thrilling.
JS96 Beautiful floral aromas and densely saturated black fruit make this distinctive and gorgeous. Violets, rose petals, blackberries and blackcurrants, with velvety tannins, super concentration and focus. So deep on the palate and long in the finish. Contains 10% cabernet sauvignon. Drink now or hold.
JD94 The 2022 La Jota Cabernet Franc Howell Mountain is a blend of 90% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged 22 months in 72% new French oak. This focused, elegant Cabernet Franc has a beautiful array of red and black fruits along with notes of new leather, savory herbs, and dried flowers. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it shows excellent focus and elegance, with plenty of tannins that are nicely integrated and balanced by solid mid-palate depth. This classic Howell Mountain wine will benefit from short-term cellaring and drink beautifully for 15+ years.