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Cabernet franc is a workhorse of a grape. The gnarly-branched red fruit flourishes in cold, gravelly soil and is mostly used to give heft to red blends. But Jackalope Wine Cellars' new wine is an albino version, a rare 100 percent cab franc they call "white." Or, as the bottle says, "whité." Winemaker Corey Schuster meant to make a rosé at the Southeast Wine Collective facility he rents. For his label's third vintage, he foot-stomped the grapes sourced from Applegate Valley's Quady North vineyards and put the pressed liquid in steel tanks to age. He expected a soft-pink wine to come out. Instead, he got a white wine and "this sludgy mush of color and yeast" that dropped to the bottom of the tank. What we get is a demure, drinkable drop with more weight than a pinot grigio, more sting than a rosé and enough red to give it a dishwater hue. "It's like a salad, but a steak salad," Schuster says. It's easily polished off by 6 pm on your rooftop patio.
WWeek 2015