Two Mountain Estate Cabernet Franc Reserve

From the Yakima Valley, one of Washington State's most established and climatically distinctive appellations, Two Mountain Winery's Estate Cabernet Franc Reserve is a wine that speaks clearly of its high-desert origins — a place of blazing summers, cold nights and soils that stress the vine just enough to produce fruit of real concentration and character. Cabernet Franc has found a compelling home in the Yakima Valley, where the continental climate coaxes the variety toward a style that sits comfortably between the herbaceous, cool-climate expressions of the Loire and the riper, more structured iterations of warmer regions. The 2022 vintage, with its long, warm growing season and well-timed harvest conditions, has produced a wine of particular depth and polish. Deep ruby in the glass with a violet edge, the nose is immediately expressive and complex. Classic Cabernet Franc aromatics lead the way — crushed blackcurrant, dark cherry and bramble — layered with the variety's signature lift of graphite, dried violet and fresh green herbs, here more a whisper than a shout. Hints of cedar, dark chocolate and a subtle earthiness add further dimension, and the oak integration is confident and well-judged, adding structure without dominating. On the palate the wine is medium to full bodied, with a firm but refined tannic backbone and a fresh acidity that gives shape and drive to the concentrated fruit. Flavours of black cherry, cassis and plum are framed by notes of tobacco leaf, bay, and a long, savoury, mineral finish that lingers with real persistence. This is a Reserve in the truest sense — a wine with genuine cellar potential that will continue to reward patience over the next five to eight years.