Cabernet Franc Reviews

Sierra Wine Guy Instagram, Joe Campbell, May 24, 2025

It’s high-elevation honesty 

2021 Cabernet Franc

First sip? It doesn’t ask permission. It hijacks your palate like a stolen muscle car roaring down a mountain road at midnight—taillights blazing, motor howling, windows down. Tannins grip—firm, dirty, but righteous—like a handshake from a man who’s built fences in the sun. Mid-palate? Forget polished fruit and Parisian manners. This opens like a shotgun shack door in August—herbs, leather, cracked earth, a touch of sage and that unmistakable Spring Mountain funk: wild, evergreen, untamed. It’s high-elevation honesty in a lowdown world. And the finish? Savory, a little bitter, a little wild—It lingers with purpose. Not to flatter, but to remind you where it came from—steep, volcanic slopes and people who still make wine with their hands.


https://www.instagram.com/p/DKDb9UYSCrn/

Rich Cook, WineReviewOnline, April 30, 2025

Crafted with a premium on purity and sturdy structure that will live for decades, but can also be an absolute treat now

2021 Cabernet Franc

95 points: It is easy to see why the Smith brothers opted to make this (their maiden offering of Cabernet Franc) as a single-variety bottling. Normally deployed as a role player in the winery’s famed Cabernet Sauvignon, it deserves its star turn in what continues to be a stellar vintage, with rich cherry fruit, well folded oak spice and supple tannins that really stretch things out on the palate. Like all wines from Smith-Madrone, it is crafted with a premium on purity and sturdy structure that will live for decades, but can also be an absolute treat now. It is a very small production lot, so jump in! Contains 11% Cabernet Sauvignon.


https://winereviewonline.com/wine-review/smith-madrone-spring-mountain-district-napa-valley-california-cabernet-franc-2021-80/

Jon Fine, New Wine Review, March 4, 2025

Lots to like

2021 Cabernet Franc

Smoky, earthy, and structured. Herby nose, and notes of thyme. Lots to like here, but this will not be ready for years. This was bottled when I visited, but as of this writing it hasn’t yet been commercially released. 


https://www.newwinereview.com/what-to-drink/napa-cabernet-tasting-notes/

AdVinetures, Chris & Alison Wallace, December 11, 2024

Sensational, luxurious texture

2021 Cabernet Franc

This was our first experience with a Smith-Madrone Cabernet Franc and one of only a few experiences with this grape from the Napa Valley. Many think Napa is too hot for a “Right Bank” grape but Spring Mountain is very different from the Valley floor. Beautiful deep red colour. This is a sensational red wine! Black cherry and plum get support from lots of forest floor notes. There are hints of stems, but not in any green or astringent way. After some air the nose turns more floral and becomes very pretty. The texture is luxurious, and shows both power and restraint. So complex that we pick up something new each time we return to the glass for another sip. Spectacular!


https://advinetures.ca/smith-madrone-vineyards-rooted-in-resilience/
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