2025 L.A.S. Vino Cabernet Franc 'Franco'

Vineyard
A new site for us, located south of Witchcliffe in Karridale, and influenced by both the Indian and Southern Oceans. The vineyard is planted on rich gravelly loam soils with 25-year-old vines that naturally produce very low yields. For this wine, just two tonnes of fruit were harvested from the site.
Sadly, this was the first & final vintage from the vineyard, as the owner removed the vines before we had the opportunity to fully demonstrate the beauty of their remarkable Cabernet Franc. We’re confident that had they tasted the wine, the vines would still be in the ground. It’s a shame, but one that makes this wine all the more unique and special.
 
Winemaking
A simple, traditional approach to winemaking was employed. The fruit was hand-picked, with careful bunch and berry sorting before de-stemming. Fermentation occurred naturally as 100% whole berries over 20 days in open fermenters. The wine was lightly pressed to large-format oak (2x 500L barrels), where it rested until blending and bottling. No fining was used, and only a light filtration was applied. We believe this restrained approach best reveals the essence of this beautiful, medium-weight, floral red wine.