09 Sep Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Thumbprint Cellars 2024 NuVo of Cabernet Franc, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma

I put my thumb on the perfect wine this week. As I poured the wine, the first thing that caught my attention about the Thumbprint Cellars 2024 NuVo Cabernet Franc was the color. Clear and almost translucent, it was the color of a cherry Jolly Rancher. Then I took a sip. Light, fresh, smooth, and incredibly easy to drink, it was the kind of wine I started sipping while preparing dinner and continued enjoying long after the meal was finished. That is why the Thumbprint Cellars 2024 NuVo Cabernet Franc from Dry Creek Valley is the Please The Palate Wine of the Week.

About Thumbprint Cellars

Thumbprint Cellars is a family-owned and operated artisan winery founded by winemaker Scott Lindstrom-Dake. As a Fine Arts student in college, Scott spent a summer in Italy that inspired him to start making wine when he returned home. His first vintage was in 1995. Scott and his now-wife Erica decided to give away wine to friends and family for the holidays. But when the gold ink pen Scott used to sign bottles malfunctioned, he wiped up the dripping ink with his thumb and ended up with a thumbprint on a bottle. From there, Thumbprint Cellars was born, and the first commercial vintage was in 2000.

For more than 25 years, Thumbprint Cellars has been producing limited-production Sonoma County wines.  The winery sources grapes from local growers in Dry Creek Valley, Knights Valley, Alexander Valley, and the Russian River Valley.  The winery focuses on expressive wines that showcase both grape variety and place, while maintaining a sense of approachability and fun. And Scott puts his thumbprint on each wine.

Tasting Notes

The Thumbprint Cellars 2024 NuVo is made from 100 percent Cabernet Franc grown in Dry Creek Valley. Inspired by the Nouveau style, it is intentionally made to be enjoyed young and fresh. The grapes were hand-picked, destemmed, and fermented on their skins for 13 days until dry. Malolactic fermentation was completed in two of the four barrels, helping preserve the wine’s freshness and crisp character. With a screw cap, this wine is designed to open, pour, and enjoy.

Before even taking a sip, I was captivated by the wine’s color. The clear, bright, and almost translucent cherry hue hinted at the freshness to come. The nose offers boysenberry, red raspberry, violet, pomegranate, and black cherry aromas, with a subtle note of black licorice. On the palate, the wine is light, smooth, and juicy with a refreshing mouthfeel. There is enough texture and complexity to keep it interesting, but nothing about this wine feels heavy or demanding. It is simply incredibly sippable.

Food Pairing

For an easy dinner at home, I paired the NuVo Cabernet Franc with poached salmon topped with a Dijon mustard sauce and sautéed mushrooms and shallots. The wine’s freshness and light body worked beautifully with the salmon, while its subtle savory character complemented the earthy mushrooms and shallots. The bright red fruit and acidity also played nicely against the tanginess of the Dijon mustard.

This was one of those wines that did not need to wait for dinner. Served with a chill, I enjoyed a glass while getting the meal ready, another with dinner, and happily kept sipping afterward. Sometimes a wine is simply that easy to enjoy.

Where To Purchase

The Thumbprint Cellars 2024 NuVo of Cabernet Franc, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma retails for $45 and can be purchased at Thumbprint Cellars.