I will admit that I am holding back on posting  at the moment, saving tasting notes for the book.  We were up in Amador County finishing up some research and taking pictures this weekend.  We stopped in at Andis Wines and I simply cannot keep this wine under wraps until June!

The wine maker at Andis Wines, Mark McKenna, is a genius.  The entire list of wines offered for tasting is good to great.  Two of their wines I tasted this past weekend stand out as some of the best wines I’ve had at any time in my life.  One I’ll save for the book, but the 2009 Reserve Cab Franc was so freaking amazing, I have to share!

This wine just blew me away.  The nose is a burst of savory herbs that immediately sets this wine apart.  So many California wines smell of fruit or flowers, encountering such a strongly herbal nose is both unusual and refreshing.  I just wanted to keep my nose in that glass for days.

The wine is a dark, dark red and coats the glass nicely.  The wine has a rich flavor of stone fruit and dark cherries on the front, with a mineral quality in the middle and hint of leather on the finish.  It has medium tannins.   I can easily see this wine paired with a hearty beef roast or leg of lamb.  But frankly, I think food might get in the way.  This is such a remarkably good wine.  Mark McKenna told me it was one of the wines of which he is most proud.  He has every reason to be.   At only 2 years old, I can’t wait to taste this wine in another 3 to 5 years.  But the bottle I purchased may not remain unopened that long.

Andis Wines

2009 Reserve Cab Franc

100% Cab Franc

Less than $30/bottle

Highly recommended!