I often plan my dinner around what I want to drink. Sometimes I pair the wine to the meal and sometimes I just drink whatever. Tonight is Strip steaks on the charcoal. A mid-fatty cut of beef that doesn’t need huge tannins, but good fruity notes are more appropriate. I had a glance at the lineup of Cab Savs on my tasting bench and stumbled on this Cab Franc, the name which has an awesome twist- Pomme Roll. Google it, a right bank commune that relies on this varietal for some huge name Chateaus.

This one is bright purple and nearly opaque. The nose is perfumed with violets, black currants, sweet blackberry and a hint of the 14.8% punch. On the palate it is delicious and smooth. Black fruit salad with juicy acidity and a good dose of fine grained tannins. The structure is perfect for what I am pairing, not overly dry but with nice cut from the acidity. The dark fruit theme continues on the mid palate where I also get some black Twizzler and tea notes. The finish is quite dry but still very fruity and fragrant. The violets adding yet another layer to the complexity of this wine. It’s rather a big red that could use a touch of aerating or cellar time for a year or two. It should drink nicely till 2026. I am really enjoying it and did not get any alcohol apart from the initial whiff. 91 points for this $26 wine makes it a 5 star effort. Salut….