Franchere "Cascadia" 2021

Sadly, this is the last bottling of Franchere wine that I had the honor of helping to make during the 2021 harvest.

Cascadia is a cofermented, minimal intervention red blend inspired by the fresh, quaffable reds of the Touraine region of the Loire Valley. I never rely on an exact “recipe” for this wine; instead I rely on the peculiarities of vintage and whim to compose the blend, and in 2021 the Cascadia is 88% Pinot noir, 8% Grüner veltliner, and 4% Syrah.

The 2021 Cascadia’s perfume is flamboyant – you don’t have to put the glass right up to your nose to small it! – and strongly suggests baking spices, blackberries, salted charcuterie, and dark cherries. The palate is juicy and bright, so the fine tannins sail effortlessly across the palate along with flavors of black cherry juice, pine needles, and marjoram. It’s not deep, but it’s both intriguing and an effortless joy to drink, just what I look for in a quintessential bistro wine.

As always, the grapes are co-fermented (i.e. not fermented separately and blended later) at cool temperatures and aged 9 months in a mix of neutral oak barrels and stainless steel tank. No additions or subtractions here, other than 30 ppm SO2 before bottling. 

13.1% alc •   5.7 g/L TA   •   3.64 pH   •   0 g/L RS (totally dry)

A wine made in Oregon, with grapes from the Willamette Valley and Columbia Gorge AVAs.