Cuillin Hills 2006 Weinbau Vineyard Cabernet Franc

*Bottle #49: Cuillin Hills 2006 Weinbau Vineyards Cabernet Franc Wahluke Slope
*Price Tag: $26
*Running Tab: $563

Darren and Derek Des Voigne are brothers. They are also winemakers and owners of two separate wineries, sourcing from different vineyards, specializing in different varietals and varying price points. Darren's wine feature "Tuscany-inspired" blends while Derek leans more toward Rhone and Bordeaux style varieties. Darren enjoys the smooth jazz of Miles Davis and Derek sometimes wears a kilt and plays the bagpipes - rumor has it that's how he caught his Scottish wife's eye.

These two separate companies are separate, seemingly, only by title and style. They share production facilities, tasting room suites and a last name.

Funny to think it all started with encouraging their fathers' drinking habit in the late 90's, Derek later left his family's basement winemaking practice to take on the grape giants at UC Davis.

Derek's Cuillin Hills (pronounced Coo-lin) limits his production to 600 cases a year and opens his tasting room doors only once a week to the public, sanctioning an impression of exclusivity to form. Keeping his case numbers relatively low, Derek also keeps his prices and reputation modest with his recent releases of a claret blend, Cabernet Franc and Syrah.

Representing some of the best vineyards in the state, Derek bought grapes from the prestigious Sagemoor Group, a group of Washington grape growers since 1972, for his 2006 Cabernet Franc. Their Weinbau Vineyard in the Wahluke Slope AVA, a site known for its Cab Franc grapes, was the source for this 97% Cab Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon blend.

To gain a bit of perspective: 62 wineries, of the 500 some-odd wineries in Washington, source their fruit from one of the four Sagemoor vineyards. They do a pretty good job.

Beautiful black currants and spice fill up the nose of this wine with subtle draws of cocoa and white pepper. Derek recommends decanting her for about a half hour but letting her sit in the glass or in the opened bottle did her decent justice. A plush and rich aroma came out immediately and you can imagine how it only became a more luxurious experience.

The palate was soft and velvety with smooth cassis in the back of the finish. The Cab Franc had a real gentle acidity with easy and rounded (soft) tannins. Like last week's bottle, this one really charactertized the meaning of "dark, fleshy fruit."

I believe Derek produced a very nice Cab Franc. All of that being said, I'm just not sold on the varietal. This purchase is apart of my great search to find a Cab Franc that blows me away. I've spoke with several shop owners, winemakers and sommeliers about how to find such a thing and I keep hearing exceptions, tasting them and just not fixing my palate.

What it comes down to is the cold hard facts: Cabernet Franc is a blending grape. One of the five noble Bordeaux varietals, it still just can't quite stand alone.

Score: 7.5.