Frank Family Vineyards

When movie and TV mogul cum vintner Rich Frank came to the Napa Valley years ago, he planted his own vineyard above Mumm Napa Valley in the Rutherford district. He called it Winston Hill. The grapes from that vineyard have now reached maturity and it shows in this beautifully made wine.

Frank, who used to be the president of Disney and Paramount TV, and headed up Comcast, now leads a talent agency among whose clients are Leonardo DiCaprio, Terri Hatcher, Cameron Diaz, Benicio del Toro and Geena Davis. His winery, at the old Hans Kornell sparkling wine facility on Larkmead Road south of Calistoga, has no vineyards of its own. Ergo, Frank’s winemaking team sources its fruit from various vineyards around the valley. But Winston Hill is the prize.

The wine has sweet oak aromas but the wood thankfully is integrated, and shows earth, tar and fine-grained tannins reminiscent of the Rutherford bench. It all adds up to a very well-balanced wine that has some power. Hold onto it for a bit and then drink it over the ensuing 20 years.

The wine was aged for 18 months in 50 percent new French barrels, while the other half went into once-filled wood. The listed alcohol is 14.5 percent and there were 611 cases produced.

Reviewed February 16, 2007 by Alan Goldfarb.