2016 Cabernet Francis, Family Collection, Knights Valley

016 Cabernet Francis – End of Vintage Offer

Awarded a gold medal—and with just one taste, you’ll see why. This large-scaled Cabernet Franc is a powerful yet polished expression of Knights Valley fruit. The beautifully evolved bouquet opens with ripe plum, elderberry, fleur de sel, clove, and vanilla. The palate brims with dark fruit—plum and elderberry again—layered with toasty oak, chocolate, and a whisper of fresh herbs. Rich and generous, yet never heavy, it retains remarkable finesse thanks to balanced acidity and great tannin structure. A joy to drink now, it will continue to unfold in the cellar for years to come.

As this gold-medal vintage reaches its final allocation, this is your last opportunity to experience the 2016 in its prime—a graceful conclusion to one of our most storied wines.

The Story Behind Cabernet Francis
At their annual audience with Pope Francis in 2014, Tim and Steph Busch, founders of Trinitas Cellars, presented His Holiness with a bottle of Cabernet Francis—crafted in his honor. It wasn’t the first time they had made such a gesture (Pope Benedict XVI received his namesake bottling in 2007), but this offering left a memorable mark.

“Your wine is augmenting the Pope’s vices,” Pope Francis quipped through his interpreter.

The eponymous Cabernet Francis is made from 100% Cabernet Franc grown by John Pelkan in Sonoma County’s esteemed Knights Valley, just north of Calistoga. The vineyard’s pedigree and low-yield vines yield fruit of exceptional intensity and character. “I’m honored,” said Pelkan, upon hearing of the Pope’s fondness for the wine made from his grapes.