Tasting - Horton Cabernet Franc 2008

Name: Horton - Horton Vineyards - Norton
Variety: 100% Cabernet Franc
Region: Gordonsville, VA
Country: USA
Year: 2008
Price: $10

Vivino Tasting Notes: Tasting notes of oak, tobacco, plum, dark fruits, bacon fat, smoke, dried red fruits, and pepper, with an aroma of spices, tannins, light citrus, and violet. Some speak of firm tannins, pretty florals, red and black fruits, lots of spices, while being smooth and balanced. - Vivino Comments and Tasting Notes

Wine Folly: pg 215 Cabernet Franc - This varietal is one of the unsung workhorses of the Chilean Bordeaux Blend and seems to flourish all over the country's varied climates. With that being said, you'll find a wide range of variation with the best wines primarily coming from Maipo and Maule Valley. Notes of black cherry, roasted red pepper, cedar, wood smoke, and dried herbs are typical of this varietal.

My review: My mother just so happened to have one last bottle of red from the Horton vineyard, where the likes of the Norton wines came from, so of course I had to try it as well. This bottle is a tad old, and I feel it's age does show within the wine, though I don't feel it's so unpleasant as to not drink. While I didn't have any food with this bottle, I do feel it could have used some, as it might have helped pull flavors out of the wine that have otherwise come to fade. The notes still exuded oak, along side notes of dried tobacco, black fruit skins, and smoky pepper. The flavor was smooth, but clearly oxidized, as the notes were more muted than the nose led on - dried figs, oak, black pepper, nutmeg, and tannins remain, while the 'light citrus and violet' notes described on Vivino are no where to be found. The wine was not disappointing, as I had mentioned, but really, truly, was lacking, and left quite a bit to be desired - a less that not all reds should be aged, let alone aged for this long.

No food was had, while tasting this wine - just a glass, and some good music.