One of my favorite wines of all time is the Cab-Cab Franc from Wild Women Winery in Denver, Colorado. I’ve tried many other Cab Francs from a variety of local wineries, but none ever equaled the version from Wild Women. Unfortunately, Wild Women Winery closed during the Covid Pandemic and their quality line of wines is forever gone.
One of my other local favorites is The Wine Barrel in Parker, Colorado. They produce a wine which is very similar to my favorite Cab Cab Franc called Clarke Farms Fortitude, a red blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec grapes.
Typical with many of the craft wineries, there isn’t a lot of aging of the wines after being bottled. Bottles may sit for a short period of time, but generally the wine is produced, bottled and then sold to keep cash flowing and the doors open. Clarke Farms Fortitude isn’t very mature, but again, this isn’t unusual.
In the glass the wine is medium to dark red and clear. You can see the stem of the glass looking through the wine. There are a variety of aromas coming from the wine, making it slightly complex. Fruity with the smell of cherries, combined with an oak and smoke aroma, and a hint of pepper. The pepper smell is light, but is much more apparent in the taste.
The wine has a hint of dryness to it, and even with the fruity aroma, it isn’t sweet. The silky feel coats your mouth and comes with some tingling from the tannins. The full oak flavor is enhanced with smoke and a hint of fruit. A gentle kick of pepper appears towards the end and gets stronger through the finish.
A full bodied wine that doesn’t take over your mouth, and filled with a variety of flavors, It is smooth and pleasant to drink. This is a wonderful wine that is bold enough to be different, but easy to drink and enjoy.