2023 Gist Ranch Cabernet Franc

The 2023 growing season was the coolest season since 2011 and one of the longest, latest growing seasons in the 40+ years of Fogarty Winery. We began the harvest on September 25 with the Sauvignon Blanc from Gist Ranch and began to pick Pinot Noir later that week. The estate Chardonnay harvest didn’t begin till October 19th. We finished with our Nebbiolo on November 14th, one of the latest picks we have ever made!

The wines are bright and aromatic with good depth and intensity. It is an elegant vintage that should age well.

"The 2023 Cabernet Franc Gist Ranch sizzles with Franc character and clearly benefited from both the long, cool growing season and the power conferred by low yields. Savory undercurrents of black truffle, cocoa powder, white pepper and freshly rolled tobacco blossom through a taut, classically built, blue-fruited Franc with a remarkably dense, deftly articulated mouthfeel. It's a potent, young wine that needs time to come around, but the polish and refinement here are among the finest you'll find in the region. The Franc is a winner in 2023." - Billy Norris, Vinous 95 points
The Bordeaux varieties from Gist Ranch are vinified with an emphasis on site expression, structural balance, and varietal character. Fermentations are conducted with native yeasts in static stainless-steel tanks, with twice daily pumpovers through the completion of fermentation. The wines remain on their skins for an extended post-fermentation maceration, with total cuvaison typically around 30 days.

Following maceration, the wines are basket pressed and aged for approximately 22 months in French oak. New oak is limited to 15–20%, primarily tight-grain Taransaud barrels, with the balance matured in seasoned French oak. The wines are bottled without filtration.

The approach is intentionally restrained, with extraction and élevage used to develop structure and complexity without obscuring the character of Gist Ranch. The goal is to preserve the freshness, savory character, natural acidity, and firm mountain-grown structure that define Bordeaux varieties from this site and the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Our Cabernet Franc is sourced from the Gist Ranch Estate located in the heart of Santa Cruz Mountains. The vineyard was densely planted in the year 2000 at elevations reaching 2300 feet above sea level, 17 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. The heavily fractured, vaqueros sandstone soils and unique mountain micro-climate produce singular, deeply concentrated wines that demonstrate the power and elegance of the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation.