“Great Wine Happens Every Day” is Frank Family Vineyards mission statement, yet it didn’t happen overnight. Twenty-five years in the making, a weekend retreat morphed into a winemaking juggernaut, with a devoted following of wine lovers in tow. From sparkling to reserve wines, Frank Family Vineyards has assembled an impressive lineup. Rich Frank and his wife, Leslie, have worked hard to modernize the winery and renovate the tasting room, making them a welcoming destination among Napa Valley wine tourists.
Rich Frank’s journey was born out of a passion for fine wines. In 1990, Frank purchased a weekend getaway home in the Rutherford AVA of Napa Valley, along with 107 acres of hillside vines that he christened Winston Hill, in honor of his Springer spaniel. Initially, Frank sold the Winston Hill fruit to other Napa Valley producers, but then realized that he had something special. So, in 1992, when the bygone Hanns Kornell Champagne Cellars winery in Calistoga came up for sale through a bank foreclosure, he jumped on it. Frank noted, “It was the biggest gamble of my life”, even though his lowball offer today seems like the investment of a lifetime. Frank bought a piece of history, the stone winery dated back to 1884, originally founded as Larkmead Winery, and was listed on the National Register of Historical Places. Three additional vineyards were purchased since, making for a total of 380 acres of vines. The Bordeaux varietals of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot populate Winston Hill, their signature vineyard, along with Sangiovese. The Lewis Vineyard in Carneros is the source of their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for their sparkling and still wines. Benjamin Vineyard sprawls across the valley floor, with its Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. And S & J Vineyard, with its Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Zinfandel vines, is nestled in Capell Valley just east of the Vaca Mountains. And what they don’t grow, they purchase from other prime vineyards, to flesh out the type of wines they want to make. What started with a meager 200 case production has blossomed into more than 75,000 cases, with many premium wines among the cast.
During Frank’s time as President of Disney Studios, he oversaw mega-hit films such as Pretty Woman and The Lion King. Now as owner of Frank Family Vineyards, he’s spearheaded an impressive transformation from historic winery and coveted vineyards, to today’s most popular wine tasting room in Napa Valley. Crowned “Winery of the Year” by the Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine twice in the past six years, the yellow Craftsman house, with its three private tasting rooms, a wine bar, and relaxing outdoor veranda offers an intimate wine tasting experience, with several of their wines only available through the tasting room. It’s like visiting an old friend, and sharing a bottle of wine in the comfort of their home.
And if you’re from the Los Angeles area, you might recognize Leslie Frank. She was an award-winning TV News anchorwoman and reporter at KABC, but today is focused on Frank Family Vineyards. As brand ambassador, she travels with Rich around the world, promoting their wines, and was the creative force behind the renovated tasting room. Together this power couple has created a fun wine tasting experience and seriously good wines.
To kick off their 25th anniversary of winemaking, Frank Family Vineyards invited wine professionals for a special day of wine tasting, commemorating both the winery and Winston Hill vineyard. Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson, alongside General Manager and Winemaker Todd Graff, Vineyard Manager Davie Pina and Rich Frank, conducted an eight bottle vertical retrospective tasting of Winston Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, spanning the odd years between 1999-2013. It was a fascinating comparison of vintages, with structural similarities yet very different.
The 1999 Frank Family Vineyards Winston Hill Cabernet Sauvignon was everything you want and expect from a high quality Napa Valley Cab with some age on it, sweet fruit, baking spice, a chocolate note, fresh acidity, plush tannins, and red currant on the finish, which built throughout the palate to a persistent crescendo. The 2001 was very different, more youthful, dense and tight, focused on fruit, flavors of red fruit layered on top of black fruit, an herbal minty note, plum, licorice, with higher acidity, an elegant wine that could be mistaken for a much younger vintage. While 2003 was a difficult year, the wine manifested itself as more masculine, with firmer tannins, but the 2005 channeled its perfect growing conditions into a grand cru-like wine, intense with high-toned fruit, balanced acidity and structure, voluptuous with red and black fruit and herbal notes, a sophisticated Cabernet from an acclaimed vintage.
The last four vintages were my favorites, the 2007 is a luxurious wine, with Petit Verdot in the blend, sweet dark fruit with a balsamic note highlights the style and philosophy of Frank Family Vineyards. Rich Frank commented, “It’s balanced because of the acidity, freshness is part of our style, the violet aromas and mouthfeel just add to its appeal.” The 2009 had a lot going on, a “sexy wine” according to Frank, fresh, floral, with Merlot fruit to flesh it out, spice, and velvety tannins, with a “cherry pie crust edge”, according to Robinson. The 2011, although considered a difficult vintage was beautiful and fragrant, with Cabernet Franc in the blend, and the 2013 was very pretty, sweet fruit with a chocolate note, from a great vintage in Napa. Overall, the wines reflect a style and a myriad of decisions in winemaking, especially the critical time to pick, an artistic expression of a vision of what type of wine you want to make. Frank Family Vineyards’ style tends to fruit-driven, floral, fresh wines with spice, chocolate, and mint notes, and smooth tannins that set up a lingering finish, making for elegant, supple wines with a depth of flavor.
Afterwards, a fabulous lunch, catered by Gerard's Paella, at the Frank’s home atop Winston Hill Vineyard gave everyone a chance to appreciate how far Frank Family Vineyards has come. From the valley views, to samples of their current releases (including a delicious Sangiovese), the stage was set for the unveiling of a very special wine. The 25th Anniversary “Owner’s Blend” Cabernet blend magnum was impressive, a culmination of the passion and experience gained in their time as wine producers.
Frank Family Vineyards is open daily for wine tasting, from 10am - 5pm, with different tasting flights available. Reservations are strongly recommended and required for Friday - Sunday visits. The tasting room is where you can experience all that Frank Family has to offer, but many of their wines are distributed nationwide. Another reason to plan a trip to Napa Valley in 2018 is that Frank Family Vineyards is hosting a series of special events to celebrate their 25th anniversary.