Original, bold and audacious Cabernet Franc so says the label? Can’t say I have had one of those wines with all three adjectives operating simultaneously so let’s put it down to marketing to catch the consumer with thrilling adjectives. A nifty name too for a Cabernet Franc wine, “To Be Frank”. Are we in Australia?
Let’s give this Niagara wine a whirl.
Aroma: Hefty amount of oak and a tinge of rawness perhaps because 23% new oak was used in ageing. Black cherry, red plum, blackberry, cassis and dark chocolate.
Palate: Big mouthfeel on this full-bodied wine with a long finish. Again some rawness. Cherry cola, chocolate bark candy and creeping tannins. Decant an hour prior to serving to calm down this fellah.
Personality: Many of my Cabernet Franc Niagara cousins are a bit more supple and soft but I can be tougher and still be a worthy wine. Right?
Food Match: The winery suggests Arrabiata or Bolognese pasta and that is a good choice although I might suggest the olives in a Putanesca sauce may pair well due to the slight rawness of the wine.
Cellarbility: Drink by 2027. With a bit of time in the cellar the wine will soften.
Price: $30 CDN.
RKS 2025 CANADIAN Wine Rating: 90/100.
On further reflection the wine is quite brutish for an Ontario Cabernet Franc so I think I can at least agree to “bold”.
(Megalomaniac 2022 To Be Frank Cabernet Franc, VQA Niagara Peninsula, John Howard Cellars of Distinction, Vineland, Ontario, 750 mL, 13.5%).
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