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2010 Cabernet Franc

$66.00 / 750ml

Library Release - Limit: 6 Bottle per person - 

230 Cases Produced | 23 Cases Remaining

Red and black fruits mix with red currant, black currant, and plum on the nose. With perceptible green pepper notes, tobacco, and cedar character, the finish is long and elegant. The wine is beginning to reach its first prime drinking window.

This was our first work with cabernet franc. After working with a fellow Master Sommelier in Washington, I was a bit terrified about working with cabernet franc in the Finger Lakes, but this vintage set us at ease! 

Christopher’s Journal: A mild winter led to a heavy crop, but a warm dry year allowed wines to achieve complete ripeness and full flavor development. Considered a blockbuster year in the Finger Lakes at the time, this is our first vintage, and one of the best red wine vintages to date. 

Cabernet Franc

A grape most traditionally associated with the Loire Valley (Chinon, etc.), it has seen only a moderate amount of attention outside of France. While there are some notable examples of great Cabernet Franc being made round the globe, they are limited. It seems as though the Finger Lakes may be a stronghold for Cab Franc in the new world.

A bit lighter than it’s much more popular offspring Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc excels without the ripeness that Cabernet Sauvignon so often seems to need. Add that to its thick skins and loose clusters that allow airflow and we have a grape that seems made to excel in our cooler, moist climate. To seal the deal, it is very cold tolerant.

We believe Cabernet Franc will be the iconic red grape of the Finger Lakes before long.