Lo-Fi Wines, Cabernet Franc - USA, 2024
Fast Facts
Winemaker(s): Mike Roth & Craig Winchester
Region: Santa Barbara County, California
Varietal(s): Cabernet Franc
Terroir: Gravelly fine sandy loam over pebble deposits. Bordeaux-esque temperate microclimate.
Serving Temp: 55-60°F (lightly chilled)
Mike Roth and Craig Winchester have been friends since they were teenagers, and their Lo-Fi project is basically the wine equivalent of a band you started in your garage that actually made it. Roth originally wanted to be a chef but got bitten by the wine bug working at a shop in North Carolina during college (we feel him). He moved to Napa after graduation, putting in time at places like Grgich Hills and Saddleback Cellars, before landing in Santa Barbara County where the scene felt more aligned with what he wanted to do.
Lo-Fi started by accident in 2012 when Roth was working at Martian Ranch and had some leftover fruit to play with. He made a few carbonic maceration wines for himself and his friends—nothing serious, just glou-glou stuff to drink young. Winchester, who was assistant winemaker at Martian at the time, jumped in, and before long they had a small inventory that was getting really, really good. By 2014, they'd launched officially, and today they're producing around 7,000 cases out of a shared winemaking facility in Buellton.
Lo-Fi is all about what they're not. Not over-manipulated, not over-extracted, and not-overripe. Analog wines, baby! The 2024 Cabernet Franc comes entirely from Coquelicot Estate, a 94-acre CCOF-certified organic vineyard where Roth also works as winemaker. The grapes went through a 12-day whole-cluster carbonic maceration in large sealed tanks creating that ultra-fresh, fruit-forward wines with soft tannins you get from intracellular fermentation. After pressing, the wine was aged in a mix of large Austrian oak tanks, concrete, and neutral French oak.
Why'd we pick it?
This is a perfectly "seasons change" red wine. A chameleon type you can drink chilled on a patio, or after dark while testing your carbonara skills on the stove. Think Loire Valley vibe but with California sunshine, and the fact that it's 100% organic from a vineyard that takes its farming seriously just makes it that much better. Mike and Craig are making wines you actually want to open on a Tuesday, which is our kinda thing.
Field Notes
- Tastes like: Punchy bright cherry and raspberry with a mineral backbone that keeps things honest. A smidge of herbs and olive tapenade round it all out on the finish.
- Serve it however you'd like it! A bit chilled around 55°F will bring out the juice, or room temp will hit a bit more of the savory pop right away.
- This one will pair beautifully with whole roast chicken, the aforementioned carbonara, grilled vegetable kebabs with harissa yogurt, or some fatty charcuterie.
