Frank Family Vineyards has four estate vineyards in Napa Valley. They are the Lewis Vineyard on the Napa side of the Carneros AVA, the S&J Vineyard in Capell Valley (east of the Vaca Range), and the Benjamin Vineyard and Winston Hill Vineyards, both on the eastern side of the Rutherford AVA. The winery and hospitality areas are in Calistoga at the original Larkmead Winery, which was built in 1884 and is still in use. [The Larkmead brand is owned by someone else and not affiliated in any way with Frank Family.]

Frank Family Vineyards typically produces 17 wines. They include Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, sparkling wines, and dessert wines. The two reviews below are based on samples.

2016 Frank Family Chardonnay Carneros 91+ 14.4% 750ml $38

Brilliant, lemon-gold color with generous aromas of ripe green and yellow apple, pear, lemon, peach, baking spice, and brown sugar. The palate is full-bodied and juicy with sensuous viscosity and very fine, silky texture. The rich flavors emphasize apples, lemon, and baking spice. There’s a hint of oak too, which becomes toasty during the long finish. A very nice, full-flavored Chardonnay which will be enjoyable on it’s own or with a wide range of foods. Drink now through 2024.

Most of the fruit in this wine came from the estate Lewis Vineyard. It includes 68 acres of Chardonnay on gently undulating terrain with clay soil. Most of the balance came from three other, high-quality vineyards in Carneros: Beckstoffer and Hudson on the Napa side, Sangiacomo on the Sonoma side. The juice fermented in French oak barrels, roughly 1/3 new, 1/3 once used, and 1/3 twice used. Barrel aging lasted nine months. 25,000 cases.

2016 Frank Family Pinot Noir Carneros 92 14.5% 750ml $38

This ruby-colored, multi-vineyard blend brims with aromas of tangy black cherry, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a scant chiffonade of tarragon. Body is a roundish medium-plus and the moderate tannins are fine-grained and very lightly chalky, providing just the right structure for the rich, black cherry and dark red fruit. There’s also cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, light brown sugar, smoke, and oak. The lengthy finish is softly grippy. Enjoy now through 2026.

The Lewis Vineyard has only 10 acres of Pinot Noir, so most of the grapes in this wine came from the Sangiacomo and Beckstoffer Vineyards. Winemaking and elevage is essentially the same as for the Chardonnay, except aging lasted 10 months. 5,000 cases.

Copyright Fred Swan 2019. Photos courtesy of Frank Family Vineyards. All rights reserved.