Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Southbrook Winery 2002 Triomphe Cabernet Franc - $24.95

Triomphe is Southbrook’s reserve line of wines. These wines sit in barrel from anywhere between 12 to 18 months, so they can take on more complex flavours than those that sit in barrel for 6 months or less. They also have great longevity, thus making them wonderful cellar candidates … this Franc is no different. Made by the now defunct wine making team of Colin Campbell and Steve Byfield, this wine has plenty of spicy notes on the nose along with black pepper, vanilla and oak. There’s also some green pepper that comes along for the ride up your olfactory lobes, with some berry fruit including blackberry, cassis and cherries. This wine has not finished developing yet and will not smooth out for some time (say 5-7 years), right now it’s still heavily influenced by the oak but there’s licorice, blackberries and white pepper showing up, so far, on the palate, with maybe a hint of cocoa playing around in the background. A fantastic wine that’s only gonna get better with age. Drink now, or hold for a while, but definitely enjoy it. Available at the winery only.

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