The allure of Flora Springs Ghost Winery Cabernet Franc is immediately evident. The orange wax encasing the neck and cork, is complimented by the beautiful artwork from Virginia based artist Wes Freed. The haunting graveyard scene is packed with ghost vines, crows, and a ghost. Of course, nothing is spookier than ghosts and ghost vines, except perhaps the price tag on Flora Spring Ghost Winery Cabernet Franc 2012. At $50, it is by far and a way, one of the most expensive wines we’ve ever covered on First Pour Wine, but is it worth it?
Sight: Inky black with a firm magenta edge
Smell: Pepper and spice jump off a with a whiff of heat from the alcohol. A stemmy amount of blackberry wafts out jammy. There’s a heavy amount of baked fruits and preserved plum laced with undertones of cigar box, spice, and maraschino cherries.
Sip: The body is huge and mouth filling, with plenty of round jammy notes throughout. The acidity is still massively bracing, but spice explodes outward mixing with smoke and preserved blackberries and plums. The slightly herbaceous notes evoking bell peppers that continues throughout, complimenting the balance of oak and jammy blackberries, plums, and currants.
Savor: The smoke lingers deeply, adding to the complexity with cedar and oak. The preserved fruit flavors develop slightly over time, and has a moderate tannic nature.
Flora Springs Ghost Winery Cabernet Franc is deeply complex, loaded with beautiful jammy fruit, and has a body it hasn’t quite settled into yet. As cabernet franc goes, there’s a lot to like here, huge darker fruit flavors explode from the palate and nose, and the oak compliments well, adding significant amounts of spice and smoke. There are characteristic notes of bell peppers and other herbaceous notes. While it is fantastic to drink now, it may benefit from more time maturing in the bottle for a few years. If you have the chance to find one of the only 442 cases made of Flora Springs Ghost Winery Cabernet Franc, and just happen to have $50 laying around, then this is a great choice of cabernet franc to enjoy over halloween or the holidays.
Verdict: Jammy blackberries, plums, spice, herbaceous
Price: $50
Napa, California