Crocker Starr, Cabernet Franc, St. Helena

Comprising 100% Cabernet Franc, this wine was aged for 21 months in 80% new French oak. Deep ruby in color, it flaunts an aromatic profile of crème de cassis, tarry black cherries, bramble leaf, allspice, tobacco, licorice and violets. Full-bodied, seamlessly alcoholic (14.4%) and beautifully fresh, it delivers a comparable flavor payload, framed with proportionate oak and plentiful fine-grained tannins. Dense in the middle and long on the finish, this is a superb effort from the Crocker & Starr team. …

2016 vintage

DINNER WITH PAM STARR: get together with fellow CTers, CYCLIST and IAMANDYC and assorted friends and family. I don’t reca whether Pam or CYCLIST brought this, but many thanks. More blue fruited than the 21, mixed with dark cherries, violets, wild flowers and a bit of loam. Bright, energetic, and layered

2016 vintage

Please wait until the next bottle for any notes. I did not write any when I open this so voted with the community for a score. I do know that it will be at least 2 years before I try another, because I do remember thinking, this is too young!

2016 vintage

2+ hr slow ox. Dark purple with a slow viscous coating on the stem. Black cherry on the nose, this comes across the palate as watery black and blueberry pie filling, with a hint of oak and structure. Extremely easy to drink on its own, this could easily pair with poultry, fish or burgers, though I'm not sure I'd put it up to a prime steak. Interesting and very enjoyable expression of the varietal, time to drink up. As this …

2016 vintage

purchased at the winery in Oct 2013 during a trip with the WWS folks. 13.7 alcohol. Sort of a lost-in-the-cellar situation. On the nose, cherry, some chocolate, also a hint of cocoa and herbs. These follow through in the mouth with integrated tannins, good acid/fruit balance, and med+ long finish. It has lost much of its fruit but there’s enough left to keep my interest. Very surprised and delighted that the wine has held up so well although I see …

2008 vintage

Decanted 1/2 the bottle; Comments are after an hour in the decanter. Nose of forest and muted dark fruits. Elegant mouth feel with a soft approach that yields soft, fine-grained tannins front- to- mid palate. Another hour later, wine from the bottle shows a floral bouquet with a more polished finish. This is a solid wine and an excellent Cab Franc, however like recent C-S wines I just can’t justify the price point. At $55-65 I’d be all over this, …

2016 vintage

Green pepper, really nice wine.

2008 vintage

Cabernet Franc ... kinda it nice. Sweet, cotton candy nose, nice finish, pleasant.

2016 vintage

Opened for father's day. Had really good potential as soon as opened, and got better after 90 minutes. Never really improved after the 90 minute mark. Has hints of some really great potential, but never reached that point. Certainly ready to drink right now. Not on the downhill slide, but I'd probably drink what you have.

2008 vintage

Did not meet expectations. Bottle may have been flawed.

2008 vintage

Pop and pour at home. Nose is fairly nondescript, with faint earth and dark berries early on. Finely polished wine that offers a dusty coating front-mid palate with dark cherry flavor. While there's ample fruit, its softened and fading. As noted a few months back this is in a good place and should be consumed now before too much of the remaining fruit is lost.

2008 vintage

Aired for an 30 mins, followed over 2.5 hours. As good as CF gets. Sweet floral nose with a hint of vanilla and lightly toasted oak. Really well-balanced with just enough tannin/structure to keep the mature fruit (watery blackberry, black plum?) in-check. Hint of saddle leather, faint pepper, but really no spice or green notes. In its peak, this reaffirms that I'll probably pop my final bottle over the Thanksgiving holiday.

2008 vintage

About as good as CF can get. Mature red and dark fruit - if a little lacking in depth - over a dry tannic base. Little evidence of green, as noted previously this could pass as a mature merlot. Wine is in its window with minimal airtime. Drink by 2018, ideally 16-17. Purchase on winebid, provenance unknown.

2008 vintage

Opened for 1:00, decanted for 1:00. Excellent offering from this vineyard. Good mix of fruit and spice.

2008 vintage

Via Coravin, so minimal air before drinking. Nose shows CF spice and black pepper, but could otherwise pass for a dark-fruit based / new world merlot. Shows some faint green pepper behind toasted oak and vanilla. Solid expression of the varietal, would give minimal air time and plan to down remaining bottles by 2017.

2008 vintage

Decanted for an hour. Nice fruit and pepper balance, with an earthy backbone and lingering after. This one probably not yet at its peak, but certainly drinkable now. Amazing for a Cab Franc. Delicious.

2008 vintage

Corn but not decanted three hours prior to drinking at the Hollywood bowl. Vanilla, modest Oak, medium sauce weight/depth, no warning or peppery notes. really in a good place; enjoy now thru 2017

2008 vintage

Nice wine but still young. Decant at least an hour or two for the rich body and luscious mouthfeel to shine.

2008 vintage

We loved this wine. It was much more than we expected.

2008 vintage

Lovely

2008 vintage

Yummy!

2008 vintage

Two hour decant, than wow! Excellent balance between fruit and tanins. One of the best we've had in 2012.

2008 vintage

Pop and pour. Vegetal aromas of bell pepper, red fruit. This smells high in alcohol and tasted it as well during the first 90 mins (not decanted). As time wore on the alcohol burn mellowed out and the wine became more expressive, but this particular bottle seemed far older than one would imagine. Rhone-like mouth feel, dominated by young red fruits without much structure. Hoping this was an off bottle, or my remaining bottles will have to be consumed very …

2008 vintage

Tasted from someone else's bottle at Zabrano Wine Cellar in Fort Worth TX - identical experience. The best Cabernet Franc I've ever had - - - - ok, maybe second to the 1996 Beringer Century III. If you find this one in the store, BUY IT. I recommended the bottle to the couple next to me and it was the favorite of the night, easily rivaling the Montes Purple Angel Carmenere (which interestingly enough had rather similar characteristics, this one …

2008 vintage

Pop and pour. Notes well after-the-fact, but this was really nice

2008 vintage

By far the best Cab Franc I think I've had. This wine had a lot of Cab Sauv characteristics IMO, but they were all on the palate and after quite a bit of decanting and sitting. This wine was uncorked with a medium purple stain on the cork. The nose out of the bottle was locked to violet and hawthorne. The wine was decanted for about two hours, not passed via Vinturi. About an hour after opening, the wine was …

2008 vintage

Plum, currant, and sage. Curiously lacking the black pepper note I would generally expect from a cab franc.

2008 vintage

My first Cab Franc actually. Nose is not that expressive, but has some light red berries. The taste has red cherries and cranberries... with a touch of radish - but the wine isn't 'green'... definitely a California wine. Very nice finish that rewards some patience. For me it is a 92 now, but I think I am drinking this one a bit too young... I'm guessing a couple years will do this one some good to smooth out and express …

2008 vintage

The nose showed dark berries, spice and cedar. On the palate, I found red fruits and spice with a firm yet juicy structure; a bit vegetal but rich enough to hold its own.

2008 vintage

color: purple medium + intensity, tears fast to form and fall nose: med + intensity, spice, purple flowers, ripe boysenberries, black tea, dried raspberry leaf, palate: dry, acid med+ tannin medium + ... a (vibrating) quality, light on the tongue like a Georges Seurat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathers_at_Asni%C3%A8res) painting body is med, alc est 13.5 finish is med+ Style note: Elegant and vibrant style of Cabernet Franc, "Old World" in the sense of slightly subdued fruit with many nuances of texture and flavor. …

2008 vintage

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Crocker Starr, Cabernet Franc, St. Helena

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