Gridley Family Cellars

Andy Gridley came home one day from his job as national sales manager for a small Napa winery and told his wife Susan he wanted to make wine – both had taken enology courses at Fresno State. She agreed, but only if it were the lesser known of the Bordeaux varietals, Cabernet Franc. “Cabernet franc has lovely fruit characteristics with an amazing perfume. It's got weight and roundness with a terrific sexy quality,” says Susan, whose first wine memory was an old "family" Cabernet Franc from a Napa Valley producer.

Fortuitously, a few weeks later a college friend of Andy’s offered to split his share of Cabernet Franc from the Saviez Vineyard on the border of Calistoga and St. Helena. For this inaugural release they crushed 2.5 tons of fruit from Saviez and 2 tons from the Lynch Vineyard, fermenting the lots separately. Lynch Vineyard is located in the eastern part of Napa County. It tends to ripen about three weeks later and has a more rustic fruit character that complements the Saviez fruit. The results – a warm, round, and inviting wine deeply flavored with notes of sweet cherry, earth, forest, vanilla, mocha, and caramel. Delicious with roasted pork tenderloin.

Reviewed September 14, 2006 by Catherine Fallis.