2012 Red Table Wine
$149.00 / 1.5L
60 Magnums Produced
Meant to be an expression of place and time, each of our Red Table Wines is a response to the unique development in barrel and our read on what the respective vintage wants to express. The philosophy and technique of blending, elevage, and bottling continues to develop, and each vintage takes the concept a step further than the last. This wine was made from a barrel selection of wines that we felt worked well together for long term development and harmony. After the selection was made, the wines were allowed to continue their slow development in barrels for a total of 48 months before blending and bottling.
Christopher’s Journal: 2012 was a blockbuster year! Warm and drier than average from beginning to end. This vintage was harvested under ideal conditions 2-3 weeks early. Ripe, almost exotic wines were produced from good clean fruit. Roughly 50% Cabernet Franc & 50% Syrah with extended barrel aging, this wine is our attempt to create a wine that represents the Finger Lakes, and its unique terroir, more than any specific varietal. Dark black fruits, smoke, dried herb, game and pepper all weave together in this wine that changes every time you return. Although this wine is still a baby, with patience, this will grow.
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.
Syrah
Syrah is synonymous with the northern Rhone, though it has exploded the world over. But Syrah has gotten confused. Vintners and consumers alike are under the impression that Syrah is a hot climate grape. Often, they call the Northern Rhone a hot climate region. We too were under this misconception for a long time. This could not be farther from the truth. The best part (Cote Rotie) of the northern Rhone is warmish, but cooled by the constant cold Mistral blowing south from Switzerland, and as California producers are now focusing more and more on their own cool climates. Some of California’s great examples of Syrah are being grown in areas directly in the cooling influence of the Pacific.
So, we thought, why not in New York? We found an acre of Syrah that was about ten years old, and immediately snapped it up. While still controversial here in the Finger Lakes, Syrah ripens beautifully. Its thick skins allow it to hang late into the fall for flavor development. The one downside is its sensitivity to extreme cold, meaning that Syrah, like Chardonnay and Pinot, require protected microclimates.
Our Syrah is a bit of a rarity, but truly shows the potential of cool climate Syrah production, and it has been very exciting to see more and more interest in the grape here in the Finger Lakes.
