Detert'East Block' Cabernet Franc 2019

This is the first time we’ve been able to offer this special single block of Detert’s Cabernet Franc. Comprised of 100% Cabernet Franc, this comes from the oldest Cabernet Franc vines in Napa Valley. The clonal material comes from a block of Cabernet Franc planted at Detert in 1949 which vintner and winemaker Tom Garrett’s grandfather replanted in 1979. They call it the Detert Clone of Cabernet Franc. The ultimate expression of the Detert Vineyard, the 2019 East Block “exudes old-vine character with complexity and sophistication. Spectacularly aromatic, it shows a range of thyme, grilled herbs, cassis, and baking chocolate. Textured, powerful but also elegant and energetic in the mouth, it’s lush and palate coating, with complex flavors of black cherry, cured meats, black licorice, gun flint and cassis. It offers great density but it’s also precise, lively, and beautifully layered with a finish and flavor that keeps gliding.” 

Before the Detert family purchased the land that is now their namesake vineyard, it was Martin Stelling who purchased the majority of the To Kalon Vineyard in 1943 and planted what is thought to be the first Cabernet Franc in Napa Valley on the future Detert Vineyard in 1949. He also planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Johannisberg Riesling and Chenin Blanc on the property. Seven acres at Detert is divided into the East and West Block for Cabernet Franc. In the East block, there are 7 acres within the historic To Kalon Vineyard of old-vine Cabernet Franc whose lineage stretches back to the early history of grape growing in Napa Valley.