Special Events

The 2006 California Cabernet Franc Challenge
               Titus (2003) vs. Peju (2002)
                                       February 12, 2006



Let's face it.  In most, Cabernet Franc gets no respect.  It is the Rodney Dangerfield of fine wine grapes.  Interestingly, though,  immediately after everyone dismisses Cab Franc, they also acknowledge that Cheval Blanc and Chateau Ausone (both in Bordeaux), which are Cab Franc based wines, are arguably amongst the greatest wines in the world.  New bottles of these 2 wines sell for over $200 dollars, and well aged wines from the best vintages can go for triple that price or more.  So what gives?  Can you honestly tell me that only two wineries in the world can do justice to Cab Franc.  Can you look me in the eye and tell me that you would spend hundreds of dollars for Cheval Blanc's take on Cab Franc, but you won't even TRY one from California.  It's time to open up your eyes and mouths, and try some of our own home grown Cabernet Franc.  The growing conditions that favor Cabernet Franc are similar to those that favor Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, so Napa Valley seems a logical place to try to grow this misunderstood grape.

Today's challenge will face off Titus Cabernet Franc 2003 vs. Peju Cabernet Franc 2002.  Both are from Napa Valley.  I purchased both of them at the Meritage Wine Markey in Encinitas for approximately 30 bucks a bottle.  Both are from family owned wineries.  The winemaker from Titus is the former winemaker from Chappelet.

Both wines have nice color.  Both are dark ruby red, but not as deep a purple as a Cabernet Sauvignon.  The Titus is a little darker, and gets the slight nod in the color department.

The aromatics of the two wines were quite different.  The Peju was cut leather, spice box, and menthol.  The Titus was a strong ground black pepper.  I would have believed that the Titus was a zinfandel if no one had told me otherwise.  The Titus had a larger bouquet, but the Peju was more enticing.  Although the nose lasted longer on the Titus, I give the overall edge in aromatics to the Peju.

The Peju was lighter on the palate than the Titus.  On first pour, It had better balance, and was more elegant.  In effect, it was more "Bordeaux" like.  The pepper overpowered the Titus, although it came into much better balance after about 30 minutes of decanting.  The Titus remained a more powerful wine, with a more aggressive attack on the palate.  If you love California Zinfandel, I think you would prefer the Titus.  If your tastes lean more towards Bordeaux, you will prefer the Peju.  Both are good, but quite different.  This is what good wines are all about;  i.e., savoring the differences.  It's like watching a boxing match between 2 great fighters.  One is a power puncher, the other is all finesse (anyone remember Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Marvelous Marvin Hagler, or George Forman vs. Muhammad Ali?).  My tastes lean towards the silky side, so I give the edge here to Peju.

The finish on both wines was nice, and had fairly good length.  The Titus was a little more powerful here also, but the Peju seemed more elegant.  Once again, judging comes down to a matter of taste.  I judge them to be a draw with respect to the finish.

Overall, I give a slight edge to the Peju, and award it the victory for the 1st VinoCritic Cabernet Franc Challenge.  Both are nice wines, and worthy of your attention if you want to try something a little different from what you are accustomed to.  The comparison is not entirely fair, since the Peju had one extra year in the bottle.  Both were good vintages, however.  Perhaps one day, we can do a taste-off between Ausone and Cheval Blanc.  Now that would be fun.  If any readers would like to sponsor such a challenge with their own bottles, I would be happy to be the referee of that contest!

Both bottles were purchased at Meritage Wine Market in Encinitas at the intersection of S. Rancho Santa Fe Rd, Encinitas Blvd, and Manchester Ave.  Both wines were roughly thirty dollars.