Barboursville Vineyards Cabernet Franc Reserve (75cl, 13.5%)

A Virginia red wine blending 90–92% Cabernet Franc with 8–10% Petit Verdot, bottled at 13.5% ABV in a 750ml bottle. The vine stock comes from both Loire Valley and Bordeaux nurseries, and the wine spends 12 months in used oak, mostly three to five years old. Barboursville Vineyards sits in Orange County, Virginia, on an estate once owned by former Governor James Barbour and led by the Zonin family since 1976, with Luca Paschina guiding production since 1990. The nose opens with ripe blackberry and red cherry, then dusty earth, dried herb, licorice, clove and a whisper of vanilla. The palate is medium-bodied with blueberry, fig, caramelized plum and vanilla bean, carried by firm yet sandy tannins and good acidity. The finish is long and tannically vivid, with dark fruit, wood spice and gentle earthiness.