Simon di Brazzan, Cabernet Franc

At a trade event in San Francisco a few years ago, I met Daniele Drius of Simon de Brazzan and tasted just about every wine in his lineup. I walked away thinking, this guy is going to be a star.At the time, I believe his wines were making their debut in the US, and you might say he hit a home run in his first at-bat—the whites and reds alike had such precision and refinement it was hard to believe that Drius is a relatively recent arrival on the Friuli-Venezia Giulia wine scene. My latest encounter with Simon di Brazzan left me (and my SommSelect colleagues) raving about today’s uncommonly beautiful Cabernet Franc. I’m not going to compare it to anything from the Loire Valley in France because it is its own thing—an expression of a noble grape and place that have a long history together. The so-called ‘Bordeaux’ varieties have thrived in this part of the world for centuries, and with Cabernet Franc and Merlot especially, the Friulians craft some of the world’s most elegant, detailed, v