Wine reviews
The nearly perfect Cabernet Franc Force de la Nature comes from a parcel of Cabernet Franc vines planted on the gravelly bench of the Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard. This cuvée is only produced in great vintages, which, of course, the 2012 and 2013 are. As with all of Luc Morlet’s wines, there are no acid adjustments, no enzymes and no manipulation. A candidate for perfection when it is released in Fall, 2015, the 2013 Cabernet Franc Force de la Nature exhibits a dense purple hue as well as ethereal notes of blueberries, black raspberries, charcoal and forest floor. Full-bodied, opulent and sensationally concentrated, but light on its feet, this is Cabernet Franc at its greatest and may be the finest ever produced in Napa Valley. Drink it over the next two decades. Luc Morlet has a new estate winery located in an old stone building on Route 29, north of St. Helena and across from the Markham Winery. A native of France, Morlet was mentored at Newton Vineyards between 1996 and 2001 by the likes of John Kongsgaard and Michel Rolland. From there, he became the key winemaker at Peter Michael Winery, where he still consults along with his brother, Nicolas. His Sonoma bottlings will be reviewed in the next issue of The Wine Advocate, but these Napa cuvées come from both estate vineyards and purchased fruit (primarily from the Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville). All of these Cabernet Sauvignon as well as the Cabernet Franc are fabulous wines. Although they are undoubtedly expensive, they are all at the top end of the qualitative hierarchy in Napa Valley.RP
Luc Morlet's three-digit wine is the 2013 Cabernet Franc Force de la Nature, 100% Cabernet Franc from the incredible Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard. This is an ethereal wine that goes beyond just being majestic. Aged in 100% new Darnajou oak, the wine offers a flowery, blueberry and blackberry-scented nose along with forest floor, some sweet, subtle toast and lead pencil shavings. Remarkably rich, fullbodied, but light on its feet and on the palate, the wine builds incrementally to a majestic, full-throttle, seamless work that is rather remarkable. This is an amazing wine, and Luc Morlet has certainly proven once again his incredible talents and knowledge of great vineyard sites. Drink it over the next 15-20 years. Luc Morlet, whose brother Nicolas Morlet is the principal winemaker at Peter Michael Winery, preceded his brother, but has his own winery just north of St. Helena and the Culinary Institute of America. It sits adjacent to Route 29 in a beautiful old building from the late 1800s. Morlet, who hails from the Champagne region of France, is on a hot streak in terms of the quality of the exquisite wines he's producing. This is an extraordinary lineup of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir and possibly the finest 100% Cabernet Franc ever made in California, his Force de la Nature. Morlet is hoping to use about 70% or more estate-grown fruit, as he has been busy acquiring property and now has his estate up to 24 acres.-RP