The Sierra Foothills makes a lot of wine–over several sprawling counties–and although I hate the term *world class* applied nonchalantly to various burgeoning regions by people typically having little experience in what it truly means, places like the eastern foothills of California are rife with wine falling far short of that vague qualifier. The Sierra Foothills makes a lot of wine: very little of it–IMO–able to play on a world stage. Too ripe. Too heavy. Too hot. Too “California rustic”. Not European-rustic, please note: California rustic. There’s a huge difference. I have often opined the further north you go, the better the quality, and El Dorado shines an an example of this *broad strokes* opinion. To wit: this bottle. And this producer. This wine serves as the perfect example of what Sonoma or Napa or Mendocino or Santa Cruz Mountains could produce and would show perfectly in those companies. Not many Sierra Foothills wineries can play this off.
Deep mineral spice and earthy splendor roll easily off the nose. The kind of dusty, leathery patina soil-dorks pin-point on specific AVA’s. Rich, vibrant charm fills the bouquet: the fruit a deep cherry; elegant and refined, no signs of obtuse ABV or manipulated concentration.
Buttery and smooth on the palate, the ease at which the cranberry and pomegranate translates onto the tongue alongside gobs of acid and book-cases of textbook nutmeg and cinnamon causes pause. Can this be Sierra Foothills??? Clearly. The volcanic in these regions is young and raw. The dirt bright red and stony-porous: not yet massaged and finessed by bottom loam or much alluvial. Conifer and madrone and manzanita cast magnificent olfactory patinas on flavor profile making pitch-perfect wines. Tannins smooth and well-integrated, everywhere plush pepper and complicated fruit. Perfect complexity doesn’t happen often east of Lodi, but here we have it in spades.
2016 LAVA CAP Cabernet Franc El Dorado AVA Sierra Foothills California 14.2
Stephen McConnell 