2016 Nue Wilde Cabernet Franc, Dunnsden Vineyard

Region: Chalk Hill AVA < Sonoma < CA Grapes: Cabernet Franc Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Organic farming, volcanic chalk and goldridge soils; 25% whole cluster, carbonic fermentation; neutral barrel aging for 1 year then extended aging in stainless; bottled unfined/unfiltered with 20ppm added So2; 88 cases; 12.3% ABV Winemaker: Ben HerodNue Wilde is the new(ish) project from our friend Ben, who's been making his own wine for nearly a decade while holding down a day job selling natty French and Italian wine for an importer.  The exposure to great natural wine from all over gives him great perspective in making his own, with the philosophy that great wine is “grown,” not “made.”  For Nue Wilde, he sources fruit from organic vineyards all over NorCal, and makes wine in an old-school, hands-off fashion.  We've worked with many of Ben's bottlings, but he'd been holding on on this juicy Cab Franc with some age on it, which is absolutely ripping right now. The fruit comes from the western edg