Sky Devil Reisacher Vineyard Cabernet Franc Knights Valley 2019

Sky Devil is spear-headed by two friends, Jeff Goldberg and Matt Vogt, whose lives intersect through Marine Corps Aviation. Jeff's grandfather was a Marine in WWII who served in the South Pacific. Matt is a third-generation Naval Aviator who served as an attack pilot during Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. Since WWI, Marines have proudly referred to themselves as Devil Dogs, and in time, some Marine pilots began calling themselves Sky Devils. The label proudly features an F4-U Corsair, a legendary gull-winged fighter plane of WWII and an iconic and enduring symbol of Sky Devils worldwide. Matt and Jeff have three common interests at Sky Devil Wines:  love of history and country, a desire to serve others chasing their dreams, and passion for excellent, terroir-inspired wine.

Behind the winemaking of this epic project is Kirk Venge, a Napa native whose name has become synonymous with rich, bold, extravagant wines. Growing up in Rutherford, in the heart of the Napa Valley, some of Kirk's earliest memories are of helping his father, Nils (another Napa Valley winemaking legend), with basket-pressing Cabernet and operating the pump switch on late-night barrel racking projects. Kirk pursued a degree in viticulture and enology at the University of California in Davis. Ever since, he's made some of the most well-regarded Napa wines, including Macauley, Hunnicutt, B Cellars, Bacio Divino, and his label, Venge Family Vineyards.

In the background, as a consulting winemaker, is Gerhard Reisacher. The Austrian-born winemaker moved to Napa in 1986 and pioneered mountain grapevines in Knights Valley when he purchased a 112-acre property and planted Cabernet on slopes rising from 1,400 to 2,200 above the valley floor. His wild notion in the late 80s paid off as this vineyard flourished, cementing a place for Knights Valley Cabernets alongside the likes of their neighbors at Peter Michael. When Gerhard sold his label, Delectus, in 2016, his mountain vineyard remained in the family, and Sky Devil wines launched their brand with Reisacher Vineyards as their only fruit source.

As is often with ACME, when tasting Sky Devil's latest release of single vineyard Cabernet, Matt mentioned he brought along a bottle of their small production Cabernet Franc and asked if we would want to taste it. He poured to a chorus of "yes pleases," and our excitement quieted as the wine enveloped us in pleasure and thought. Sky Devil only made two barrels of this classic varietal expression, all from Reisacher Vineyards. It aged for 21 months in 100% new French oak, with the barrels imparting flavors of toasted baking spice and black pepper. Aromas of wild raspberries, spearmint, and charred jalapeño open fully on the nose and set the stage for bolder fruit on the palate with smooth, Mexican chocolate flavors and the tang of strawberry fruit leather. Medium-bodied with fleshy tannins, this wine floored us with its rich and welcoming profile that exemplifies the best of California Cabernet Franc.