T. Berkley Wines, Franc, 2023

Loire-inspired California Cabernet Franc from a young Napa label finding its own lane. T. Berkley is Taylor Berkley Boydstun's project — Loire-trained, Northern California-sourced, focused only on Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc. The 2023 FRANC is the entry-tier appellation blend, drawing North Coast Cabernet Franc and treating it with restraint: native-yeast fermentation, roughly 25% whole cluster, then 11 months split between sandstone amphora and neutral French oak puncheons. The result steers well clear of jammy Napa cliché — savory, supple, chalky-tannined, with the leafy lift Cab Franc fans actually want. A serious-people California red built for the table, not the trophy case.