Vinum Cellars The Scrapper Cabernet Franc – An Under-Appreciated Heavyweight

The Scrapper Cabernet Franc, this wine is a knock-out!

100% Cabernet Franc from the Van Huen Vineyard in El Dorado County, California. The wine is made from low-yielding (the entire vineyard only produces about 500 cases), 25-year-old vines and aged in used French oak for 26 months.

The Vinum Cellars The Scrapper Cabernet Franc has an SRP of $30 and is available for as low as $25.

From the bottle:

This is a wine made for the open-minded, the adventurous and those who root for the underdog. It’s Cabernet Franc from El Dorado California aged in used French Oak for 26 months; truly a Scrapper.

14.9% Alcohol

Cabernet Franc, a parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, is a grape that rarely gets it due nowadays and that is precisely why Vinum Cellars makes this wine. While I usually comment on the contents inside the bottle, I have to say that the marketing of this wine is absolutely perfect. From the name, The Scrapper, to the image of boxer Gene Tunney on the bottle, it all just works. (Gene Tunney was heavyweight champion from 1926-1928, was the only person to beat Jack Dempsey twice, retired undefeated and yet somehow never gets his due, much like Cabernet Franc.)

The 2013 Vinum Cellars The Scrapper Cabernet Franc begins with an excellent aroma of black cherry, cedar, dried herbs and balsa wood. Tasting the wine reveals dry, strong, grippy tannins and more black cherry plus juicy black raspberry and blueberry. It’s smooth, extremely delicious and savory with dark chocolate and coffee notes leading into the long dry finish. This is a fantastic wine that is sure to generate conversations based both on what is inside and outside the bottle — well-done Vinum Cellars!

Looking for more of the best wines from California? Check out all of our recommended picks in our giant listing of The Best Wines From California Under $20.

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.