2003 Gallo Family Winemaker's Signature Cabernet Franc

Gallo Family Vineyards is an off-shoot of E & J Gallo Winery, which is one of California’s historic wine producers. Brothers Ernest and Julio Gallo were selling grapes from the family vineyards when prohibition ended, and in 1933 they decided to start making wine. They taught themselves winemaking from library books and were soon selling large amounts of bulk wines. By the 1990s E & J Gallo had 25% of the American wine market and today it has become a major exporter of American wines. E & J Gallo makes, markets and distributes wine under more than 60 labels, including Andre sparkling wine, Carlo Rossi and Barefoot Wines. However in 1977 the family also decided to make premium wines, and the Gallo Family Vineyards label produces a large portfolio of red, white and rose wines.

Sonoma Valley AVA is Sonoma County’s original winegrowing district. Designated as an AVA in 1981, it includes 14,000 vineyard acres in a long, narrow valley that runs north-south. Rather romantically, the valley is also called The Valley of the Moon. The oldest winery in the AVA, and one of the oldest in California, is Buena Vista Winery, founded in 1857 by a Hungarian count who planted vineyards in Wisconsin before moving to California. Today there are nearly 60 wineries in the AVA producing a variety of wines, from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to Cabernet Sauvignon and Gewurztraminer. The appellation is bordered by mountain ranges on the east and west, which partly account for Sonoma Valley’s unique terroir. The mountains protect it from the cooling weather of the Pacific Ocean and fruit ripens well.

This is a parent grape to Cabernet Sauvignon. It most likely originates from Basque country. It is an excellent blending grape, known for making the exquisite Cheval-Blanc. Franc is a little hardier on a vine than Sauvignon, but drinks smoothly at the table.