The Debate Box Cabernet Franc Rutherford Napa Valley 2017 – Three iconic vineyards in one exclusive collector’s box

The Debate Box Cabernet Franc 2017 is a unique and coveted wine collection from California’s Napa Valley, where one grape variety – Cabernet Franc – is interpreted through three of the area’s most exciting vineyards. This exclusive box contains three bottles, each from a different vineyard, allowing wine lovers to experience how terroir can shape the same grape in very different ways.

The concept behind The Debate is simple but fascinating: three wines, the same vintage and winemaking philosophy – but three completely different vineyards. The result is an experience where the importance of terroir becomes clear in the glass. It’s a box created for wine enthusiasts, collectors and those who want to explore Cabernet Franc at the highest level.

The grapes come from three famous vineyards in Napa Valley: Sleeping Lady Vineyard, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard and Stagecoach Vineyard. Each wine shows its own character, structure and aromatic profile, making this box a rare opportunity to compare terroir directly.

Contents of The Debate Box

• Sleeping Lady Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2017 – Alcohol: 15.2%
• Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2017 – Alcohol: 15.2%
• Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2017 – Alcohol: 15.1%

The vineyards

Sleeping Lady Vineyard is located on the southern part of the Yountville foothills on the alluvial Mayacamas bench. The vineyard’s name comes from the distinctive rock formation behind the property that resembles a woman lying on her side. Here the soil and climate produce Cabernet Franc with elegance, freshness and beautiful aromatic complexity.

Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is one of the most famous vineyards in all of Napa Valley. It sits on the warm valley floor close to the Mayacamas Mountains, where the sun disappears early behind the mountains and preserves the grapes’ natural acidity. Only about 10% of the fields are planted with Cabernet Franc, making this wine a particularly rare interpretation of the legendary terroir.

Stagecoach Vineyard is the largest contiguous vineyard in Napa Valley. The 1,100 acres of volcanic and rocky soils stretch from Pritchard Hill overlooking Oakville to Atlas Peak. The Cabernet Franc block is located in the northwest at around 1,500 feet elevation, where the iron-rich and rocky soil creates wines with power, structure and great acidity.

Flavor profile

• Aroma: Intense aromas of dark berries, violets, spices and subtle mineral notes.
• Flavor: Full-bodied and complex with layers of blackcurrant, plums, dark chocolate and elegant tannins.
• Finish: Long and structured aftertaste with a great balance between fruit, acidity and minerality.

History of the house

The Debate is a project created with the ambition to showcase the importance of terroir in Napa Valley. By producing wines from different iconic vineyards, but with the same grape variety and vintage, the house gives wine lovers a rare opportunity to experience the difference in soil, altitude and microclimate directly in the glass.

The result is wines that serve as both a study in terroir and as some of the most exciting Cabernet Franc wines from Napa Valley.

• Producer: The Debate
• Area: Rutherford, Napa Valley, California
• Grape: Cabernet Franc
• Vintage: 2017
• Type: Red wine
• Quantity: 3 x 75 cl
• Contains: Sulfites
• Alcohol: 15.1%, 15.2 and 15.2%