I have always been a lover of Loire valley Cab franc and when I moved here I naively thought that there might be a number of vineyards growing it. Of course I was wrong, but I have always held the belief that Oregon can make outstanding loire valley style cab franc. I was very lucky to find a vineyard in the Dalles in the columbia gorge that has a bit of it growing and this is my first vintage making it.

This was my favorite wine I made in 2022 and it is nearly everything I wanted it to be. Dried strawberry and raspberry with prevalent notes of bell pepper (it’s a cab franc thing). The palate is very silky with light, but firm tannin - Flavors of candied raspberry and fresh cut roses.

The label is en homage to my father who worked on the railroad for 30 years or so. This is based on a photo my mother took of him while they were on their way to sturgis one year.