Cabernet Franc 2008 – A Lyrical Wine You Will Love
Looking for a romantic wine—and with a romantic label to go with it? Poetic Cellars fits the bill. Poetic’s labels show a picture of two lovers embracing, and every back-of-the-bottle label carries a beautiful poem by Joseph Naegele—a partner and owner in the winery along with Katy Lovell. But the true poetry appears in the wine itself. Winemaker Lovell makes the kind of wine that reminds one of a sonnet—with an ode to a lover in each sip.
Lovell’s Cabernet Franc 2008 Livermore Valley ($35) is a perfect example. A very appealing wine with overtones of raspberry, cassis and tobacco and a slightly perfumed nose of black currants and violets, Poetic Cellars’ Cab Franc is undeniably delicious and would go well with many kinds of food. I paired this earthy wine with some pasta and rich tomato sauce I made for dinner, and a big leafy salad with plenty of olives and feta cheese. Cabernet Franc is mostly grown as a blending wine, but it’s also an interesting wine to enjoy on its own.
Poetic Cellars is a beautiful winery to visit, and it’s just a stone’s throw from Soquel Village. Their tasting room is open noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, so I suggest you head on out there and try the Cab Franc for yourself. This is the beautiful poem on the Cab Franc’s label:
I am but a budding rose
Whose petals stretch
Towards the sun
And yearn to open
Please be gentle
I am the silent cocoon of a butterfly
Who longs to grow into a majestic
Monarch butterfly
Please help me fly
Poetic Cellars, 5000 N. Rodeo Gulch Road, Soquel. 462-3478. poeticcellars.com. Contact: ka**@po***********.com.
Wine Events:
Capitola Art & Wine Festival—
The 30th annual Capitola Art & Wine Festival takes place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sept. 8 & 9 in Capitola Village. There is always a good selection of local wines and some good food to be had as well. New this year is Scott Delk with his delicious barbecue. Delk and his wife Jamie are the owners of Delk Bees Honey, and they have now ventured into the barbecue business also. Info: capitolachamber.com and delkbees.com.
Taste of the Harbor—
The fifth annual Taste of the Harbor takes place from 4:30 p.m. to sunset on Tuesday, Sept. 11 at the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor. Hosted by Intero Real Estate, the event includes a raffle, live music, and food and wine provided by harbor restaurants. All proceeds go to the Intero Foundation to benefit the O’Neill Sea Odyssey. Tickets: $49 or $55 at the door. Info: Tasteoftheharbor.com.
