Union Gap Vineyard The Pearl Block Cabernet Franc
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2032
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted duck, grilled lamb chops, rosemary-infused portobello mushrooms
✨ Technical Specifications
Sourced from Owen Roe's estate Union Gap Vineyard, situated at the dramatic southern entrance of the Yakima Valley where the river carves through ancient basalt ridges, The Pearl Block Cabernet Franc is a testament to Washington's unique terroir. The vineyard's steep, south-facing slopes are littered with gravelly basalt cobblestones that absorb the daytime heat, while the gap itself draws in cooling evening winds. This extreme diurnal temperature swing allows the Cabernet Franc grapes to achieve optimal phenolic ripeness while preserving their vibrant natural acidity. Named after a prized parcel within the estate, this wine is crafted using small-batch fermentations and traditional French oak aging, resulting in a structured, complex red that beautifully balances savory herbal notes of sage and tobacco with deep, dark berry fruit.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1999 by David and Angelica O'Reilly, Owen Roe is named in honor of the 17th-century Irish patriot Owen Roe O'Neill. Operating across the Pacific Northwest, the winery bridges Washington’s Yakima Valley and Oregon’s Willamette Valley, celebrating cool-climate microclimates, diverse volcanic and windblown loess soils, and dry, high-sunlight ripening conditions. Following a brief period under corporate ownership, the O'Reilly family repurchased the estate in 2024 to reassert their founding independent vision. The viticultural and cellar philosophy prioritizes rigorous low-yield vineyard management, hand harvesting, small-lot fermentations, and judicious use of French oak barrel aging to preserve varietal clarity and site-specific typicity. Sourcing from benchmark terroirs such as Red Willow and DuBrul, Owen Roe produces critically acclaimed single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Chardonnay alongside value-driven cuvées under their Sharecropper’s and Corvidae labels, delivering structured, cellar-worthy expressions marked by vibrant acidity and deep concentration.
🍇 Grapes
Cabernet Franc