WineAlign - Awards - 2023 NWAC Cabernet Franc

Results of the 2023 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals)

Cabernet Franc

Category Overview by Judge John Szabo, MS

(Jump straight to the medal winners.)

Ahh, what a pleasure to judge the cabernet franc category this year! A perennial favorite, this was for me hands down the most exciting red wine category at the 2023 National Wine Awards, with consistently high quality and pleasure across the board. Of the 102 entries, fully 72 wines (71 percent) earned a medal (up from 63 medals in both 2021 and 2022), behind only syrah in terms of percentage of medals earned in a major red wine category. This includes one platinum and 18 golds, a remarkable one-in-five success rate.

I feel I say this every year, but such results, and the even medal distribution between the major producing provinces of Ontario and British Columbia again this edition as in past ones (unlike syrah), make a strong claim for cabernet franc to be considered Canada’s flagship red variety. And unlike the very highs, but also low lows of pinot noir, cabernet franc rarely disappointed, even those examples that fell outside of the medals were largely enjoyable. It’s clearly a resilient, adaptable variety suitable to a wide range of growing conditions, from the intense heat and sandy soils of the southern Okanagan producing bolder, riper styles, to the cool stretches of the Niagara Escarpment or even Vinemount Ridge or Prince Edward County and their deeper stony clays leading to leaner, lighter more fragrant and delicate wines though not without structure. Judges were beguiled by the variety’s full range of expression.

A big part of the success story this year can be attributed no doubt to the predominance of 2020 vintage wines among the entries, a highly successful year in both Ontario and B.C., with textbook growing conditions resulting in clean, ripe, concentrated fruit. There was a near-even split of the spoils between the two powerhouses, with 11 of the top 19 wines, including the platinum, tilting in favour of Niagara, as well as 43 out of 72 medals overall, though both provinces are clearly capable of greatness.

Cabernet franc is a grape to embrace, Canada’s most consistent red.

Ravine Vineyard 2020 Cabernet Franc, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

Backyard Vineyards 2020 Cabernet Franc, British Columbia
Backyard Vineyards 2020 Reserve Cabernet Franc, British Columbia
Bella Terra Vineyards 2020 Cabernet Franc, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Black Swift 2019 Hans Estate Cabernet Franc, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Bordertown 2020 Cabernet Franc Reserve, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Bordertown 2020 Cabernet Franc, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Gray Monk 2019 Odyssey Cabernet Franc, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
GreenLane 2019 Cabernet Franc, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Moraine 2021 Cabernet Franc, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Palatine Hills 2018 Wild & Free Cabernet Franc, Niagara Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Peller Estates Niagara 2020 Private Reserve Cabernet Franc, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Poplar Grove 2019 Cabernet Franc , Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tawse 2020 Grower’s Blend Cabernet Franc, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Thirty Bench 2020 Cabernet Franc Wild Cask, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Vineland Estates 2020 Elevation Bo-Teek Cabernet , Niagara Escarpment, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

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