Disappointing Debbie

I taste many wines and although I don't like to write about the wines I've been disappointed in, I've always been torn to do so.  Not every wine that is opened is up to par in my standards.  I look at the wine for what it is, the region it's grown, the growing conditions that particular year, if it has residual sugar, it's its dry, oaky, acidic etc and evaluate accordingly.  Some I may not like because it's just not my taste, however someone else that likes wines crafted that way will enjoy it.  That's why I keep an open mind when I am tasting. BUT, sometimes a wine is just a big disappointment.  When this happens we are going to open up the Disappointing Debbie files.

To lead off the Disappointing Debbie files is Tousey Winery's 2010 Cabernet Franc.  The grapes for this Cab Franc came from Oak Summit's vineyard.  I had high hopes for this wine, very high hopes.  John Bruno of Oak Summit grows some of the best fruit in the valley and is limited to Cab Franc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

This is a beautiful bottle and label.  When I opened this wine I noticed a little barnyard smell.  I can get past that, but the wine tasted flat and light with no flavor.  I've tasted other 2010 Cab Francs from the Hudson Valley and they have tasted light in structure, so I might chalk that up to the growing season, but where did the flavor go?  Where were the hints of cranberry, raspberry, cherry and my favorite - spice on the finish?

Sorry Tousey, I am adding this to the Disappointing Debbie file.