Cabernet Sauvignon, 2017. Wild Hare

Wild Hare is part of the Bronco family of wines. It is named after the wild rabbits who would roam the vineyards at night and jump to retrieve a mouthful of grapes. Apparently, myths and legends grew around this, true or not, which is why they put the word "Legendary" on the label.

In the 1960s, Fred Franzia was growing grapes in the Central Valley and making what people were looking for at the time, fairly inexpensive jug wines. They got tired of selling their wine to a wholesaler, who would sell it to a retailer and the price would more than double. So, just like in the Andy Hardy movies, they started their own wholesale operation and sold their own wine.

One day, Fred's cousin came to him and told him that he was breaking away from his family's winery and starting his own. He wanted Franzia to be his wholesaler. This cousin was none other than Robert Mondavi. That was the turning point for Franzia. For almost 20 years Franzia was the Mondavi wholesaler in every state he had distribution in. It was what helped fuel the success of the entire operation.

The appellation on the bottle says California, which means it could have come from anywhere. But, tasting this beauty and realizing that they have huge holdings in Napa says to us that some of those Napa grapes snuck in. From the dense color to the black cherry and berry nose, it's all Cabernet. The plum and spice just hit the spot and would love to have a prime ribeye to dance with.

Reviews