Rudd Crossroads 2022 Cabernet Franc,

The Wine

A Cabernet Franc from Napa that doesn't taste like Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa? We were hooked from the first sniff of its Cabernet Franc aromas. We had to reach waaaay back in our wine tasting memories to find a worthy comparison.

Look for aromas of dried red berries, tart cranberry, and black cherry accented by cedar forest and subtle layers of dark cocoa, anise, and dried black tea. Complex, thought-provoking and delicious.

Pairings: let the wine shine by partnering with subtle flavors of lightly smoked meats and herb-encrusted pork or poultry. Also fun with tomato-based dishes as well as duck confit with lentils, mushroom ragu and cheeses such as aged Gouda, Tomme-Style Alpine cheeses, and washed-rind cheeses - from the soft-n-oozy Monastery cheeses of Epoisses to those of Taleggio and Reblochon. For Semi-soft, reach for Morbier or Saint-Nectaire!

The Winery

Natalie's wine background begins with a childhood spent playing among the vines at Rudd Estate and eventually befriending matriarch Samantha Rudd. That fond childhood experience led her to choose wine as her career path. That career included years at Etude Winery, Villa Maria (New Zealand) and Littorai before 'coming back home' to Rudd in 2014.

Rudd Estate's Winemaker, Natalie Bath, is just one part of a cohesive team at Rudd Estates. A winery dedicated to sustainability at all levels, everyone who works there is assigned rows in the vineyard, and it's their job to maintain them and to harvest them. This provides a deeper knowledge of this most elevated agricultural product, but also builds appreciation for everyone and every role at the winery.

Together, the Rudd team has carved a very rare and enviable reputation for their wines, wines that stand high above their Napa Valley peers when it comes to wines that reflect the unique characteristics of their vineyard. These wines stand out in the crowd for not tasting like every other Napa Valley wine among a sea of sameness.