For a very long, Long, LONG time, we have admired Cabernet Franc. One of the elite and noble grapes of the world, Cabernet Franc most often finds its footing on the right bank of Bordeaux, where it features prominently in many of the worlds finest wines.   In Texas, we are just beginning our exploration, in blends and in this case, as a single varietal.  This, the 2022, is Barbara's third vintage of 100% Cabernet Franc from the Texas High Plains.  Our friends at Lahey Vineyards planted their acreage of Cabernet Franc in 2014, at about 3400 feet elevation in dry, well drained soils.  When Siboney expanded production in the 2019 Vintage, Lahey was one of our first calls. For this one, the Tech sheet reads "Aged for 24 months in French Oak (30% new)."  It leaves out one word:  Astonishing.  No wine has matched the excitment and follow through from our Club members.  250 Cases is all we could coax from the enigmatic 2022 harvest.

The 2020 vintage of Siboney Cellars acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignon brings two vineyard sites together into a High Plains single varietal blend.  The 2020 vintage was quite challenging for our grower partners, coming off an unseasonable freeze that left many vineyards well short of expected yields. Barbara gently but convincingly coaxed about 160 cases of Cab from our harvested plots at Lahey Vineyard and Challis Vineyard.  New French Oak is judiciously noted the final selection (about 25%, the remainder being once-used, sourced from a particularly high quality winery on the Silverado Trail in Napa), adding structure and longevity.  About 30 months in barrel, bottled May, 2023.  It is more Old World in style - think elegance, finesse and intensity - and comes in at 13.8% ABV.    But it is every bit a 100% Texas wine of which we are justifiably proud. Historic Connections of Clone 08 -- from Margaux to Napa to High Plains to JCTX: Cabernet Sauvignon's grape nobility reaches an apogee in the best vineyards of the Left Bank from Bordeaux.  Our Cab maintains this historic association as it is derived from "Clone 08," one of the most successfully grown variants in Napa. In fact, Clone 08 dates back to the 19th century, and a cutting from no less than Chateau Margaux, Grand Cru Classe First Growth. Although we cannot confirm this part, it was, in that era of the late 1870’s, likely planted on newly acquired Texas root stocks of TV Munson, the famed Texas viticulturalist credited with saving vineyards in France from Phyloxxera. Clone 08 was planted in 1883 in the Concannon Vineyard and Winery in the Livermore Valley, one of the first AVA's in the country. Subsequently registered 1971 from the same single vine source, Concannon R34 v2 in Livermore, California, the clonal selection was made by C.J. Alley when he was managing Foundation Plant Services in 1965.  It has stood the test of time (indeed, over 120 consecutive vintages and counting).   Lahey Vineyards acquired and planted Cab Clone 08 in 2014 in the Texas High Plains.   To come full circle to Siboney, it is only a matter of coincidence that Miguel's first harvest experience was in Bordeaux in 2008, at Chateau Margaux, at the invitation of Chateau Director and Oenologist Paul Pontalier..., stripping leaves from Cabernet vines to prepare them for harvest the following day.   We are honored to offer this Texas Cabernet from Clone 08, and relate the story of this lineage --  from Margaux, to Napa, to the High Plains, and now, vinified and served in Johnson City, Texas. 159 cases produced, 13.8% ABV.  On Allocation within Siboney Wine Club.