Bloomer Creek Vin d'Ete Cabernet Franc 2011
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Vin d’été means “summer wine,” and this delicate Cabernet Franc would be the perfect companion to a balmy summer eve. It’s unabashedly rustic in style, with touches of leafy herbs, clay and barnyard accentuating crisp black-cherry flavors. Brisk and sprightly on the palate, it finishes long, with a murmur of velvety tannins. Unusual and a bit mysterious, yet truly lovely.
Bloomer Creek, named after the small creek running behind the 10 acre vineyard on the west side of Cayuga Lake, is a small family run business established over 30 years ago by owners/vignerons Kim Engle and Debra Bermingham. Kim, Debra, and Katy Koken, assistant vigneron (Cornell Viticulture/Enology 2011) make every effort to preserve a “sense of place” in their wine. All vines are trellised on Scott-Henry for maximum exposure to sunlight, with leaf pulling and fruit thinning done by hand. No herbicides are used, and weed control is done mechanically. We use seaweed/fish, and compost formulations to aid in disease resistance and vine health.
Cabernet Franc, a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, is the subtler and more delicate of the Cabernets. Today Cabernet Franc produces outstanding single varietal wines across the wine-producing world. Somm Secret—One of California's best-kept secrets is the Happy Canyon appellation of Santa Barbara. Here Cabernet Franc shines as a single varietal wine or in blends, expressing sumptuous fruit, savory aromas and polished tannins.
Increasingly garnering widespread and well-deserved attention, New York ranks third in wine production in the United States (after California and Washington). Divided into six AVAs—the Finger Lakes, Lake Erie, Hudson River, Long Island, Champlain Valley of New York and the Niagara Escarpment, which crosses over into Michigan as well as Ontario, Canada—the state experiences varied climates, but in general summers are warm and humid while winters are very cold and can carry the risk of frost well into the growing season.
The Finger Lakes region has long been responsible for some of the country’s finest Riesling, and is gaining traction with elegant, light-bodied Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. Experimentation with cold-hardy European varieties is common, and recent years have seen the successful planting of grapes like Grüner Veltliner and Saperavi (from the Eastern European country of Georgia). Long Island, on the other hand, has a more maritime climate influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, and shares some viticultural characteristics with Bordeaux. Accordingly, the best wines here are made from Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The Niagara Escarpment is responsible for excellent ice wines, usually made from the hybrid variety, Vidal.