Wine Reviews: Frank Family Vineyards

2009 Frank Family Vineyards Napa Valley Pinot Noir

This wine has a beautiful dark garnet color. The nose has aromas of berries, especially dark cherries, spice, toasted brown sugar and a hint of smoked bacon. The palate was filled with flavors of cherry pie filling and spice along with smooth tannins. This wine was silky and quite balanced. I paired this wine with smothered pork chops with fresh sage in the gravy. This wine pairs well with pork and would pair well with roast chicken, fried chicken, salmon, ham, and mackerel cakes. Note: This wine was a sample provided by Frank Family Vineyards.  SRP $35.00 http://www.frankfamilyvineyards.com/

Note: this is the label from the 2007 vintage.

2008 Frank Family Vineyards Napa Valley Zinfandel

This wine had a dark purple color. This vintage has a bit more power and structure, primarily from the addition of Petite Sirah in the blend. The nose has aromas of dark fruit primarily blackberries, pepper and spice. The palate mimicked the nose with an addition of dark cherry along with smooth tannins which provides a bit of structure in this wine. This wine is very full-bodied and would pair well with meats off the grill, especially steaks and sausages. Note: This wine was a sample provided by Frank Family Vineyards.  SRP $36.75 http://www.frankfamilyvineyards.com/

2009 Frank Family Vineyards Napa Valley Chardonnay

This wine has a medium straw color. The nose has aromas of lemon zest, ripe stone fruit, pineapple and a hint of spice. The palate mimicked the nose, with all those aromas being concentrated flavors on the palate, especially the ripe pineapple. This wine has a hint of spice from its contact of the French oak barrels. This process was done in a way that this wine is not one of those over oaked chardonnays, it just provided the structure needed to pair well with food. It is perfectly balanced and one of the best chardonnays that I have sampled in quite a long time. This wine has a nice finish filled with spice, and at the very end lemon grass.  There is the right amount of minerality and acidity to pair with seafood. I would pair this wine with crab cakes.  I would also pair this wine with grilled shrimp, grilled salmon, grilled chicken on skewers and grilled pork chops that were marinaded in a ginger and orange based marinade. Note: This wine was a sample provided by Frank Family Vineyards. SRP $32.50 http://www.frankfamilyvineyards.com/