Cabernet Franc steps forward in New York

The Empire State makes a bid for its favorite red wine

Feb 12, 2025

Think of New York wine and riesling comes to mind. But as Kermit Lynch is fond of saying, “Never a white without a red to follow.” A group of Empire State wineries banded together late last year to urge us to think of New York for red wine — specifically, cabernet franc. The group, known as Cab Franc Forward NY, held an inaugural grand tasting February 4 in midtown Manhattan.

Why Cabernet Franc? A cynic might point out that Cabernet Sauvignon doesn’t ripen well in New York’s cool northerly climate, and Pinot Noir is limited to the coolest, most northerly parts of the state. On the other hand, Cab Franc performs well in the Finger Lakes, Hudson River Region and Long Island, the state’s three primary wine regions, all of which were represented among the 35 wineries strutting their stuff at the tasting.

The homer in me might also smirk about Virginia being way ahead of New York in cab franc, at least in the sense of market identification. That would not be entirely fair though, as Virginia’s emphasis is more on Bordeaux-style red blends (in which cab franc may dominate) rather than varietally labeled wines. And there’s plenty of room for more franc in our lives.

There are stylistic differences too, driven mainly by climate. New York’s cab franc tends to be light in color and weight, with moderate alcohol, befitting a cooler climate wine. Virginia’s is fuller-bodied, riper and more extracted, though also with moderate alcohol levels. To over-simplify with an easy-to-grasp analogy, we could say New York’s model is the Loire Valley, while Virginia’s reference is Bordeaux. I imagine many Virginia winemakers might take me to task for that, so I’d prefer to say each state has its own signature for cab franc, original and distinct from any archetype.

“It’s great to be known for your Riesling, but you can’t make a living off Riesling,” said Bruce Murray, co-owner of Boundary Breaks in the Finger Lakes, explaining the marketing necessity for pushing a state identity for cab franc. Murray was pouring his 2023 Cab Franc, redolent of bing cherries and plums spiced with white pepper, and a good value at $25. “You need a red wine to round out the portfolio,” he added.

Tasting through most of the wines available (I didn’t arrive in time to taste everything, thank you, Amtrak!), I was hoping to discern regional differences in style. Instead, I concluded that certain more experienced producers set a quality standard for others to follow, irrespective of AVA. Those producers include Wölffer Estate and Macari Vineyards on Long Island, Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard and Dr. Konstantin Frank in the Finger Lakes, and Millbrook Vineyards in the Hudson River Region. Many of the wines, unfortunately, were pale and thin, and way too expensive for what they offer.

There was an exciting glimpse of the future with two wines from the not-yet-released 2024 vintage. These were a spicy, refreshing rosé from Apollo’s Praise in the Finger Lakes and a deep, complex and stunning barrel sample from Wölffer Estate on Long Island’s South Fork.

“2024 is like 1945 was in Bordeaux,” Roman Roth, Wölffer’s winemaker, said to anyone within earshot. “We had three months without a drop of rain — unheard of!”

Here are my notes on the wines I was able to sample at the Cab Franc Forward NY. For shorthand, I’ll mark each as Light, Medium or Full bodied. Retail prices are as listed in the tasting booklet. Regions are Finger Lakes: FLX; Long Island: LI; and Hudson River Region: HR.

Dave McIntyre's WineLine

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