The Francis Cabernet Franc is a delicious medium-bodied red from leading Australian winery Penley Estate who are demonstrating the potential of Coonawarra to produce wines with a more elegant touch than in yesteryear. Fragrant blackberry and wild cherry notes leap from this vibrant, juicy red wine.

Penley Estate was born from the marriage of two families, the Penfolds and the Tolleys, two of the great pioneering South Australian wine dynasties. Established in the mid 1980s from a few acres on vines planted in Coonawarra, the estate shot to prominence in 1989 when the Phoenix Cabernet Sauvignon won Gold at the prestigious Adelaide Wine Show.

Today, the estate has grown significantly in size and includes a state of the art winery surrounded by 200 acres of vines.  It remains in the family, being owned and run sisters: Ang & Bec Tolley who represent the 5th generation. In tandem with winemaker Kate Goodman they have set about revitalising the estate and creating a new style of Coonawarra wines , with a softer, more elegant touch than is sometime associated with the region. Today Penley estate has reestablished itself as the most exciting and progressive winery in Coonawarra.

Penley have been experimenting with this variety for a few years and now it’s finally released as a permanent line, which matches the winery’s current ethos of moving towards fresher styles of wine.

30% whole bunches are used, and no oak. Youthful, vibrant and bursting with slippery medium-weight juicy violet and blackberry fruits, with a hint of meaty spice and soft chalky tannins holding it all together. Great on its own, slightly chilled and with charcuterie or middle-eastern barbequed meats.