Detert Family Vineyards Cabernet Franc Oakville 2023

Tom Garrett is the steward of the Detert Family Vineyard, one of the two properties his grandparents bought in the 1950's. The second property belongs to cousins Alex and Graeme MacDonald (founders of MacDonald Vineyards). Both of these prized vineyards are part of the original To Kalon parcel, assembled by Hamilton Walker Crabb through three land purchases in 1868, 1881, and 1891. The Detert Vineyard is home to the oldest plantings of Cabernet Franc in the Napa Valley, and their corner of Oakville is flanked by illustrious names like Far Niente, Harlan, and Beckstoffer To Kalon. For decades, the family has sold their Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc to their neighbors, the Mondavis, for the Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cabernet Franc was so impressive to Bob Mondavi and played such an important role in his iconic blend that, in the 1960's, he paid the Deterts record prices for the cherished Cabernet Franc clusters to ensure he could retain the fruit vintage after vintage. In 2000, a historic family event occurred when Tom left his day job as a winemaker at Revana to start making wine for the family. 

Today, only a handful of wineries are fortunate enough to grow grapes on the historic To Kalon tract. Robert Mondavi, Opus One, UC Davis, and Beckstoffer make up the bulk of the holdings. The MacDonald brothers tend to fewer than 15 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, while their cousin, Tom Garrett, focuses solely on 17 acres of immaculately farmed Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards. Tom produces these elite wines under his family's DETERT label…an ACME MUST-HAVE!

The 2023 Cabernet Franc opens in layers — dark berries and red-toned fruit first, then a flash of blood orange zest that lifts the entire aromatic profile. Violets, warm spice, and a subtle earthiness follow, grounding all that beauty in something unmistakably Oakville. On the palate, it's plush but composed. Black cherry, mocha, and baking chocolate unfurl over a dense, polished core. There’s a savory thread running through it — dried herbs, mineral, a hint of cocoa — that keeps the richness in perfect check. The texture is what seals the deal: silky, expansive, and finely structured, finishing long with floral lift and elegant tannins that promise years of evolution.