Spring Valley Vineyard 2003 Cabernet Franc; Walla Walla, Washington

Stunning. This wine is exceptional. A brilliant ruby color out of the bottle, the aroma is very floral and perfumey, with a whiff of almond extract. The wine hits the palate with a creamy, cocoa-y almost creme brulee flavor, and is exceptionally smooth. Sweet tannin give this wine enjoyable structure, and this is a candidate for some additional bottle aging. Some nice raisin/prune/currant flavors follow the sweet creme brulee nuance, only to return to the vanilla and caramel notes on an incredibly long finish. I found this gem at a local wine shop...and will go back to see if they have more. This is a very fine wine from Spring Valley. This particular bottling includes 12% Petit Verdot, and is made from Estate grown fruit in the Walla Walla Valley.