2014 Cabernet Franc Griffin Creek Vineyards

A Southern Oregon 2014 Cab Franc was the choice for our Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, this 12/25/’20 Christmas dinner was a shrunk version from so many others. Covid-19 mandated a very strict, “Grinch-like”, gathering. Ours was four.

We paired one of our favorite Cab Franc’s with traditional lasagna. Since we only had 2 other family members, we elected a simpler fix; we did not spent hours preparing a fresh lasagna dish. Instead, we bought a frozen box of the stuff from an “open-for-business” big box store.

Then we took this frozen brick, placed it into the oven for two hours, and served as our Christmas dinner. Well, O.K. We did serve a fresh, green salad, had warm Balsamic vinaigrette, and a plate of warm buttered garlic bread.

(DYK? There are people who do not like tomatoes in their salad nor on hamburgers? Some folks refuse to eat fresh green onions or any onions.) Further, lots do not care for fresh green peppers nor dark olives. So, if ever one sits at our table, we slice iceberg lettuce into quarters. Then, simply serve a chunk of raw lettuce on a salad plate; enjoy.

Ironically, we did pour the Cab Franc into our Waterford Crystal wine glasses, which sat next to the Christmas dishes and napkins. That steaming hot boxed lasagna got served, which was edible. The Griffin Creek red wine became the star on the table. It showed great dark color, a rich earthy nose, and included layers of dark berry aromas. Wine in the bottle disappeared long before the pasta on plates got eaten.

Note: some time ago. I did a write-up about this vineyard’s ’15 Cab Franc. I liked that year’s red wine, but their ’14 is more mellow & rounded: same grape varietal, only a different year.