Anne Caroline is proud of her French heritage and has committed herself to the pursuit of perfect Cabernet Franc in Vista Flores. The area has wonderful warm days and cool nights – perfect for this grape. Unlike its French cousin which sports red fruits such as cherry or raspberry, Cab Franc from Vista Flores has darker fruit profile with spicy notes, such as black pepper and red pepper. It has a more friendly palate attack and a medium body with a long and persistent finish. Anne Caroline believes that low yields (around 3 t/acre) are key and strives for a good balance between the leaves and the clusters when pruning her vineyards. All of her vineyards are fed with drip irrigation, which allows her to control vigor and vine health. The idea of this wine was to achieve a perfect balance between fruit, alcohol & acidity, but most important, to turn heads and show the world that Cab Franc can be so much more than a blending grape. This is an important undertaking, given the popularity of Malbec which has done all but define the Argentine wine category.

Only high quality clusters were harvested, by hand. When fruit arrived at the winery, it was immediately destemmed, following which, berry selection took place on sorting tables. Once the tanks were filled, cold maceration occurred for 5 days at 41°F (for color & aromatics). They inoculated with cultured yeast at 64°F and fermentation took roughly 7 days, during which temp was slowly increased to 79°F. Post fermentation maceration lasted about 15 days, based on flavor. When the ideal concentration level of tannins was obtained, the solid parts of the must (skins and seeds) were removed. Closed tank pump overs were performed before and after the fermentation to avoid oxidation of the must and possible loss of aromas. Then open tank pump overs (with presence of oxygen) were performed during the fermentation, because yeasts require oxygen for growth. All fruit was basket pressed. After malolactic fermentation in tank, this wine was racked to French oak barrels for six months (85% used). Approximately one month later, wine was racked again to remove suspended particles and to clarify the wine. No fining agents were used and wine clarification was done naturally under very cold temperatures. The tiniest sulfur adjustment was done pre-bottling.