Tag: Cabernet Franc

Cab Franc Forward Grand Tasting NYC 2026

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On February 3rd I attended the second annual Cab Franc Forward tasting which was a tasting of New York State wines made from the Cabernet Franc grape varietal.

Cab Franc Forward is a “movement” redefining Cabernet Franc wines in New York State from wineries that “craft Cabernet Franc with passion, precision and character”. Cabernet Franc is one of the major red varieties in Bordeaux and the main red grape of the Loire Valley in France.

A lot of people don’t realize that New York State is not just big cities but is an agricultural State as well. It ranks about 2nd in wine production in the United States with 11 AVA’s (American Viticultural Areas) producing $16.81 billion dollars of revenue for the State.

Cabernet Franc is a parent grape of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and is an early ripening varietal which makes it perfect for the cooler climate of New York State.

I remember that in the early days of the Long Island wine region, there was talk that Cabernet Franc would become the defining grape of the Long Island AVA and put that region on the map.

It hasn’t turned out that way, Merlot is still the dominant red grape out on the east end, but most wineries planted it and produce it so you’re able to get a glass of it if you visit the east end wineries. Much of it goes into the rosé wines produced in the region.

The event was held at the Prince George Ballroom located at 15 East 27th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Most of the wineries were from the Finger Lakes and Long Island with a handful of others and I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the wines; many winemakers were able to tone down the overly herbaceous and stemmy flavors that I’ve had in the past.

Some of what I sampled:

2024 Damiani Wine Cellars Cab Franc Valois Vineyard (Finger Lakes): Clear medium purple, dirty tar and red cherry on the nose, chewy black licorice fruit with tar notes on the chewy and balanced finish.

2024 EV&EM Vineyards Classic Cab Franc (Long Island): Clear light purple, crushed stone, dried rosemary and smoky raspberry on the nose, tight red fruit with vegetable notes, silky and tight tannin.

2016 Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard Cab Franc Library Vintage in 3 liter (Finger Lakes): Clear medium brick, stinky ripe black fruit, juicy and plummy fruit with good acidity and balance.

2022 Keuka Springs Vineyard Cab Franc Reserve (Finger Lakes): Clear medium brick, fresh rosemary on the nose, juicy red fruit with a nice balance and long finish.

2024 Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars Cab Franc MJW Vineyard Unoaked (Finger Lakes): Clear light purple, tree bark and strawberry on the nose, juicy fruit ending with moderate tannin and acidity.

2021 Lenz Winery Cab Franc Estate Selection (Long Island): Clear medium purple, black cherry and tree bark on the nose, tight black fruit ending with firm tannin and acidity.

2022 Macari Vineyards Cab Franc (Long Island): Clear medium red, smoky and earthy red fruit on the nose, chewy with stemmy notes ending with firm acidity.

2021 McCall Wines Cab Franc (Long Island): Clear medium red, juicy white pepper and cooked vegetable notes on the nose, silky red fruit, dusty tannin with firm acidity.

2024 Marcari Vineyards Cab Franc “Lifeforce” (Long Island): Clear medium red, earthy and smoky red fruit on the nose, chewy fruit with stem notes ending with firm acidity.

2023 Milea Estate Vineyard Cab Franc “Farmhouse” (Hudson River Region): Clear medium red, crushed strawberries on the nose, chewy fruit with some oak notes, firm balanced finish.

2021 Millbrook Winery Cab Franc Proprietor’s Special Reserve (Hudson River Region): Clear medium brick, sweet dirty tar on the nose, chewy sweet fruit with nice structure.

2020 One Women Winery Cab Franc (Long Island): Cloudy medium brick, sweet crushed red fruit on the nose, chewy with dark chocolate notes and tight slate notes on the long finish.

2023 Red Newt Cellars Cab Franc (Finger Lakes): Clear medium purple, smoky and toasty black fruit on the nose, chewy black fruit ending with crisp acidity.

2022 Roanoke Vineyards Cab Franc “Gabby’s” (Long Island): Clear medium purple, toasty tar on the nose, chewy and juicy with black licorice notes, nice balance.

2020 Rosina’s Winery Cab Franc (Hudson River Region): Clear light red, sweet cherry and black pepper on the nose, chewy red fruit, nice balance.

Cabernet Franc on Long Island

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Cabernet Franc is a vtis vinifera black grape that is an important part of the blend of Bordeaux wines. It’s also the primary grape of the Loire wines of Chinon and Bourgueil. The grape is the parent grape of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon and was brought into France from the Basque region of Spain.

Out at the east end of Long Island wine country because of the growing conditions there, at one time it was touted as the grape that would put the Long Island AVA on the map.

It never dethroned Merlot as the primary red grape of the region but since it was widely planted, most wineries bottle it on its own or uses the grape in whatever Bordeaux Blend red wine they produce.

One Sunday afternoon I took a drive out to the east end wine country for a visit and sampled a few Cabernet Franc.

One Women Winery

5195 Old North Road, Southold

The one woman is Claudia Purita, the owner and wine maker at this certified sustainable winery. All the wines are from estate grown fruit. The tasting “shack” can barely hold a handful of people (a new tasting room is under renovation) but on nice days there is a patio out front to sit at.

2017 Cabernet Franc

Opaque medium brick, white pepper and crushed red fruit on the nose with bright red cherry fruit and black pepper and gun metal notes on the firm finish with silky tannins.

Roanoke Vineyards Tasting Room

165 Love Lane, Mattituck

The tasting room at the vineyard is for members only but the public is welcome to their satellite tasting room in Mattituck. It’s on Love Lane which is the shortest access between the two wine roads. A two block long business district with shops and a train station. There’s a nice deli across the street and next door to a cheese shop that serves fondue.

2020 Cabernet Franc

Clear medium red, sweet candy apple and some damp earth on the nose with silky, red leather fruit on the firm but balanced finish.

Clovis Point Winery

1935 Main Road, Jamesport

Named after the prehistoric projectile points found on the property, they have 10 acers under vine and the wines are estate grown.

2019 Cabernet Franc

Opaque black with a purple rim, big nose of toast and dark chocolate with bright black cherry and tobacco notes on the fruit ending with a good grip.

Paumanok Vineyards

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1074 Main Road (Rt 25), Aquebogue

Paumanok Vineyards is one of the original founding fathers of the North Shore Long Island wine industry. It was founded in 1983 by Ursula and Charles Massoud.

It’s the first winery you run into on the North Shore wine route (Main Road) as you are travelling Eastbound.

They are an under the radar winery that have been pumping out drinkable wine for years, they are one of the few wineries growing and bottling a Chenin Blanc.

The sunny tasting room overlooks the vineyard, and not surprisanly, the winery facilities are in a converted barn.

On this visit I decide to sample a couple of red.

2019 Estate Cabernet Franc

100% Cabernet Franc. Opaque black with a purple rim, crushed raspberry and bacon fat on the nose, juicy, silky dark fruit with some black licorice notes on the finish. Moderate tannins and acids, very drinkable.

2019 Estate Petit Verdot

100% Petit Verdot. Opaque black in color with crushed rocks and spicy crushed black fruit on the nose, tart black fruit followed by firm tannins.

McCall Winery

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McCall Wines 22600 Main Road, Cutchogue

McCall began producing wine in 2007. A couple of unique things about this winery are that they have 11 acres of Pinot Noir planted which is one of the biggest Pinot Noir vineyards on the East coast and that in addition to growing grapes, they also are a cattle ranch raising grass-fed Charolais cattle, which is an historic breed from France.

The tasting room is in a rustic former potato barn not too far from the huge wine turbine they have on property.

2016 Chardonnay “Reserve”

Dark gold in color with an aromatic nose of tropical fruits, big bodied with honey, melon, pineapple and mouth filling glycerin on the finish with some nice acidity at the end. Starting to show its age but still very drinkable in an old school California full bodied style.

2016 Cabernet Franc

Clear medium brick in color with an amber rim, black cherry and sweet spice on the nose with tar, leather and black fruit ending with some tart notes on the finish.

The Other Cabernet On Long Island

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Cabernet Franc is one of the major red varietals of the world and the parent grape to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It is medium bodied with medium to high acidity and in its historical home, France, it is one of the grapes used in the classic Bordeaux blend and the primary red grape in the Loire region. It’s also a major grape varietal in both the Finger Lakes and Long Island wine regions of New York State.

Out in the Long Island wine region, the early (than Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) ripening grape was thought to be a perfect fit for the cooler climate on the North Fork.  It hasn’t dethroned Merlot as the primary grape varietal but most wineries grow it either for blending or bottling on its own.

On a quiet Sunday afternoon I took a drive to wine country to sample a few.

 

Roanoke Vineyards Tasting Room  165 Love Lane, Mattituck

This is their satellite tasting room as the tasting room at the winery is now members only. On a two block long commercial area with a cheese shop next door and an Italian deli across the street.

2016 Cabernet Franc: “The Twelve Rows”:  98% Cabernet Franc from the site specific Twelve Rows block. Cloudy medium purple with a purple rim, camphor, crushed red fruit, licorice and dark chocolate on the nose, bright dark fruit with raspberry notes on the crisp finish. 

 

Bedell Cellars  36225 Main Road, Cutchogue

A family owned operation with vines planted in 1980 using sustainable farming and “artistic blending”.

2017 Cabernet Franc:  From estate grown grapes fermented with indigenous yeasts, opaque black with a purple rim, cooked berries, raspberry and mike chocolate on the nose, bright red fruit with firm acidity, I thought the finish dropped a bit at the end. 

 

Paumanok Vineyards  1074 Main Road, Aquabogue

Founded in 1983 and entirely owned and managed by Ursula and Charles Massoud, the tasting room is in a turn of the century renovated barn.

2016 Cabernet Franc: 100% Cabernet Franc, opaque dark red, purple rim, slate, crushed rocks and wet dirt on the nose, bright red cherry fruit with wet earth notes on the fruit, low tannin, firm acidity, on the light side. 

 

 

 

Cabernet Franc On Long Island

Published on by Bruno DonaggioLeave a comment

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Cabernet Franc is one of the varietals used in the classic Bordeaux blend and of Chinon in the Loire Valley. It’s a thinner skinned and earlier ripening relative of Cabernet Sauvignon. At one time on Long Island there was talk around that Cabernet Franc was going to be the varietal that was going to put the region on the map. It was said that the cooler, maritime conditions of the North Fork were perfect for the grape. Alas, it was not to be, Cabernet Franc was never able to dethrone Merlot as the primary grape in the region and wine makers have begun experimenting with other red varietals such as Syrah and Malbec. Cabernet Franc is still used in the Bordeaux blends that the North Fork wineries bottle and is still bottled on its own though some wineries aren’t growing it anymore or  bottling  it as a single varietal.

 

2013 Roanoke Vineyards Cabernet Franc (North Fork LI). Had this at their Love Lane tasting room since the winery tasting room is for members only. Dark red in color, opaque, slate,  and black cherry on the nose with stewed prune notes as the wine opened up in the glass, dense and chunky with black cherry fruit, nice balance.

 

2013 Clovis Point Vineyards Cabernet Franc (North Fork LI). Relatively new winery, began with land purchased in 2001. Dark red to black in color with a purple robe, crushed rocks and dried herbs on the nose with crushed black fruit, chewy with firm tannin on the juicy, dark chocolate finish.

 

2012 Palmer Vineyards Cabernet Franc “Proprietor’s Reserve” (North Fork LI). One of North Fork’s original wineries. Dark amber with a brick robe and cloudy, red licorice on the nose, juicy, red fruit with notes of sour cherry, tart with some green notes on the finish.