2023 Outward Wines, Cabernet Franc, Massa Estate Vineyard, Carmel Valley AVA, Monterey County.
The debut vintage of the Outward Wines Massa Vineyard Cabernet Franc is a deep purple/garnet wine with a mix of florals, spices, earth and dark berries on the nose and opens up to a medium bodied palate with blackberry, currant, wild plum and cherry fruits, along with classic bell pepper, tobacco leaf, violets, cedar, sage/herbs and fennel notes. This organic vineyard in the deeper end of Carmel Valley is a local historic site, originally planted by the Durney family in 1968, and while known for old vine Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon, the Cab Franc is nicely expressive, in a Loire kind of way, in this version especially. A good tannic backbone is smoothly integrated and the cool year acidity adds a lift and inner brightness of fruit here. The Outward team decided to best express their Cab Franc was to, uniquely, use 50% whole cluster in the maceration and fermentation, adding some crunchiness, pop and mineral notes.They performed gentle hand pour-overs to minimize extraction and encourage some carbonic effect here, taming natural tannins, that are common here. After fermentation, the wine was pressed and aged in neutral French oak barrels for 10 months to preserve freshness and transparency. This naturally styled wine, made with native yeasts, has a clean profile and will appeal to Cab Franc lovers, especially those that enjoy Bourgueil, and it is best to have it with simple cuisine.
The Massa Vineyard, as Outward notes, is located in the remote highlands of Carmel Valley and sits at 1500 feet in elevation, overlooking the hills of the remote Cachagua region, where the first serious grape vines were cultivated in this small region that sees warm Summers and night time cooling influences from the Pacific Ocean. The site’s granitic, sandy loam soils and dry-farming approach make it an appealing place for this varietal, which drew the winery to this place.The Outward Wines label is a partnership between Ryan Pace and Natalie Siddique that produces small-lot, site-specific wines from California’s Central Coast, using unique varietal and highlighting some lesser known terroirs. There a wide range of offerings at Outward that are compelling, including their Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, this tasty Cab Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Mourvèdre and rarities Valdiguié, Vaccarese, one of the Châteauneuf du Pape grapes, and even a sparking wine. All these wines are incredibly reasonably priced considering the quality of the fruit and the limited nature of the production here, with this Massa Cab Franc being a stellar value in particular, in the latest set of releases. As a local and native of Carmel Valley, it was a thrill to taste this wine and I am grateful to Alexis Carr of Revel Wines for introducing Outward to me and showing this fun wine, and I look forward to keeping an eye on this winery, based in Grover Beach, near San Luis Obispo.
($38 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive