BRAMARE CABERNET FRANC CHANARES ESTATE 750ML 2015

Well-defined and inviting, with sturdy tannins enveloping herbal and spice-infused dark fruit. Full-bodied and persistent yet with no lack of freshness.

(14.6% alcohol; from vines planted at an altitude of 1,200 meters): Bright medium ruby. Captivating violet lift to the aromas of crushed blackberry, boysenberry, bitter chocolate and wild herbs. An exciting Cabernet Franc, not especially broad or expansive but impressively dense, powerful and a bit youthfully imploded. At once medicinal and sweet, boasting shocking lift in the mouth. The flavors of black and purple berries, licorice and minerals are more St. Emilion than Loire Valley. Finishes tight, with strong, broad, building tannins. This reminded me of a wine from Vérité.

The first Cabernet Franc I tasted from Viña Cobos comes from their new flagship vineyard in Los Árboles, in Tunuyán. The 2015 Bramare Cabernet Franc Chañares Estate comes from a small plot with more balance, revealing a characteristic varietal profile, clean, pure and precise, with good ripeness despite the high altitude (the vines are planted at some 1,200 meters in altitude). The grapes are hand-harvested very early in the morning, and the destemmed grapes fermented in small stainless steel vats with neutral yeast. The wine matured for 18 months in French oak barrels, some 65% new. It's spicy and a little smoky, with a creamy touch, perhaps from the barrels. They wanted a Cabernet Franc with identity and waited until they had a wine they were happy with. Stylistically, this is closer to something from Saint-Émilion than from the Loire Valley. Only 3,40 bottles were produced in this first vintage.