T. Berkley Wines spotlight
The market on this bottle
Wine-Searcher tracks this 2023 T. Berkley 'Franc' Cabernet Franc North Coast across the open market. Their published U.S. low is $27.73 and the average is $31.70. Our slash is $35.00.
2023 T. Berkley 'Franc' Cabernet Franc North Coast, USA
Taylor Berkley Boydstun's North Coast FRANC, dark plum and sage with amphora texture, a 2023 at thirty-five dollars.
The 2023 FRANC is 100 percent Cabernet Franc from the North Coast: dark plum, baked boysenberry, black tea, tarragon, and sage, now $35.
The entry Franc, still a point of view
FRANC is Boydstun's North Coast Cabernet Franc, not a leftover from the single-vineyard lots. Native yeast, about 25 percent whole cluster, eleven months in sandstone amphora and neutral French puncheons. Wine Enthusiast's Tonya Pitts scored the 2023 at 93. Thirty-five dollars is the catalog number. Same house as Skypine and Thalia, built to drink.
The house
Same T. Berkley brief as the vineyard wines: Loire-minded Cabernet Franc, California fruit, minimal makeup.
The wine
Mostly destemmed, about 25% whole cluster, native yeast, 11 months in sandstone amphora and neutral French oak puncheons.
The scores
Wine Enthusiast 93: dark plum, baked boysenberry, black tea, mulberry, Bing cherry, tobacco, sage, gritty tannin.
The drinker
Decant 20 to 30 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. Lamb chops with balsamic, or grilled lamb.
Plum and boysenberry, then tea leaf and sage
Pitts found dark plum, baked boysenberry, dried leaves, and black tea, then mulberry, youthful Bing cherry, dried tobacco, and sage cascading into gritty tannins and a dry finish. This is savory Franc, not a jam jar.
A fresh, savory Cabernet Franc year. Amphora and puncheon for texture. Drink it now. A short decant is enough.
Dark plum, baked boysenberry, mulberry, Bing cherry, black tea, tarragon, sage.
Chalky-supple tannin, dry finish, amphora and neutral puncheon texture.
Tobacco and sage. Decant 20 to 30 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F.
Whole cluster, amphora, and a puncheon, not new oak makeup
FRANC is built for texture. Native yeast. Roughly 25 percent whole cluster to bump the Franc-ness. Eleven months split between sandstone amphora and neutral French oak puncheons. The result is grip, lift, and a savory spine.
This is the house's North Coast blend, not Skypine and not Thalia. Same winemaker, broader fruit, a drink-now brief.
Serve near 62 F. Twenty to 30 minutes of air opens the tea leaf and sage.
The same Franc thesis, a broader map
Skypine and Thalia are the site lectures. FRANC is the house speaking in a North Coast sentence.
Boydstun still wants Cabernet Franc on the main stage. FRANC is how that idea reaches a table that is not buying a single-vineyard mountain bottle.
Old World inspired, New World fruit is the house line. Amphora and puncheon keep the oak from becoming the story.
Same cellar as the 2022 vineyard wines. Same hand. A 2023 you can open without a cellar plan.
Cook lamb. Open this.
Tea leaf, sage, and dry tannin want lamb. Balsamic chops and a simple grill are the live pairing.
Two plates. One balsamic lamb chop. One grilled lamb chop. Both can take FRANC's sage and grip.
Decant 20 to 30 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. The tannins are chalky, not punishing.
Lamb Chops with Balsamic Reduction
Balsamic, rosemary, and a chop that echoes tea leaf and sage.
Why it works: Balsamic and rosemary match the wine's dried-leaf and sage line. Fat softens the gritty tannin.
View Recipe for lamb chops with balsamic reduction (opens in a new tab)
Grilled Lamb Chops
Char and fat, a second lamb plate for North Coast Franc.
Why it works: Grill char pulls dark plum forward. The wine's acidity keeps the plate fresh.
View Recipe for grilled lamb chops (opens in a new tab)Put this North Coast Franc in the cart
Wine Enthusiast 93. Amphora Franc, same T. Berkley hand. Thirty-five dollars.
Put it in the cart. This is the T. Berkley bottle you open on a lamb night without a mountain wait.
