For Christmas this year I opened a bottle of the 2007 Yorkville Cellars Cabernet Franc. What I enjoy about Yorkville Cellars is that they are certified organic vineyard, and the owners want the true characteristics of the grape variety to come out in every bottle of wine they produce. Cabernet Franc is a nice aromatic red wine, with soft tannins, and aromas and flavors that lean more toward red fruit, and this varietal can be enjoyed at a young age. 
The aromas associated with the 2007 Yorkville Cab Franc are of red berries, cherries, some hints of floral, spice, and wood. The flavors mirror the aromas, with red raspberries, cherries, violets, nutmeg, and oak standing out. This is a wonderful, easy to drink Cab Franc, and I paired it with aged cheeses and meats from Italy. The combination of the wine and food was spectacular, and I would highly recommend this wine.

Jon

Lake County, California is the county directly north of Napa County, and directly east of Mendocino County. Lake County is sparsely populated, unlike its neighbors to the south and west. I recently sampled a wine from a small boutique winery, Steele Wines from Lake County, which has a small production, with some varietals of only 1,000 cases or less. These are the kinds of wineries that I like to find, because their primary focus is on the wine, and not all of the other distractions that larger wineries are faced with.

I sampled a bottled of the Steele Wines Cabernet Franc 2005. This Cabernet Franc had a wonderful nose to it, with aromas of dried cherries, cherries, and a hint of sage. On the palate the cherries were present, with a soft, smooth finish that lingered for some time. The tannins were soft and round. This is a good wine, but it did need some time in a decanter to open up. This wine would best be served with beef tenderloin, or aged cheeses.

Jon