2024 Mason + Laundry — Cabernet Franc

Winemakers: Kelly Mason
Varietals: 100% Cabernet Franc
Vineyard: Laundry Vineyard  
Viticultural Appellation: Lincoln Lakeshore

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Pick Date : October 25, 2024
pH : 3.90
TA : 5.65
Alcohol : 13.5%
Residual Sugar : 1.15 g/L
Fermentation : Wild ferment
Ageing: French Oak, Burgundy barrels, 17 months with all neutral.

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WINEMAKER JOURNAL: In a small industry like ours, you tend to keep track of the pickup trucks that roll up to a crush pad during harvest. Back in 2010, as an intern at Tawse Winery, it wasn't very common to see a female grower dropping off her own fruit, and that brief encounter left a lasting impression on me. 

For Heather, the vineyard is an easel, a place to harmonize colour, texture and shape in nature. She started driving orchard cars at twelve and now today, she shares the vineyard and tractor work with her team across two distinctive sites in Lincoln Lakeshore and Vinemount Ridge. Mentored by industry pioneer Debra Paskus, she farms organically with the tenacity and creativity of the art teacher she once was.

Fast forward to 2024, a blockbuster year for Cabernet Franc, and our paths crossed again in a very different way. When Heather approached me about her fruit, I hadn't planned on bringing it under the Mason label, but instinctively knew it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. For Heather, it always comes back to the fruit; what did the vineyard produce that year, and was Mother Nature collaborative or adversarial? If ever there was a year to showcase the pure expression of her vineyard, it would be 2024. This collab is a testament to trusting your intuition, honouring humble beginnings, and celebrating the tireless efforts of the growers who make this industry what it is.

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NOTES: Hand harvested, destemmed and whole berry to tank for wild fermentation. This wine was in tank for primary and secondary fermentation with an extended maceration post fermentation. Then pressed out and barelled down to age for 16 months. The oak is mainly neutrals with some second and third fills. Just perfect to give structure and ageability, while still letting the varietal and vineyard show.

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TASTING NOTES: A perfumed nose delivering alluringly pure red fruit and floral notes:  framboise, strawberry, sour cherry, roses and violet.  These fruit notes are complimented by leather, graphite, dried herbs and a whiff of clove lending more dimension and complexity.  Dry with rather soft acidity and a shocking weight and richness on the palate that is an interesting counterpoint to the ethereal, fragrant nose.  The aromas initially suggest something lighter and more delicate, but there is real power and structure here with flavours that are deeper and more brooding than the laser-focused, pure red fruit of the nose indicates.  Cassis, and earth flavours dominate with such intensity and really outstanding length.  This has tremendous potential for development in the cellar.  With time and aeration, the nose deepens to show more of those dark characters present on the palate. There is exciting complexity, balance and a real sense of place in this wine.  Bravo. 

Tasting notes by Ryan Gibson

PRICE: $42