Gamling & McDuck, Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Franc 2016

 Gamling & McDuck’s 2016 Stagecoach Cabernet Franc from Napa Valley is sourced from the lauded Stagecoach vineyard and is limited to a mere 70 cases of production.  With eight years of age already (and this is the current release), this wine has developed beautifully.  Notes of dried red fruits sit next to tobacco, autumn leaves, licorice, and vanilla.  Sixty percent of the wine is aged for 36 months in new French oak, leaving a discernible but balanced impact on the wine.  The wine is full bodied with a well-matched 14.7% alcohol by volume and chewy tannins that are well integrated.  While not cheap, this wine’s price strikes me as fair given the age and character it presents upon release — a rarity among domestic wines.