Winemaker Notes
The Finger Lakes is the perfect climate to grow some of the world's best Cabernet Francs. This cool-climate red is lower in alcohol which makes it more food-friendly!
As with all red varieties that Boundary Breaks grows, they achieve ripeness by reducing the amount of fruit carried on each vine. This enables the remaining fruit to become fully ripe and express the most desirable varietal character in the wine. They also increase sun exposure on the grapes by pulling leaves in order to reduce the "green" notes that are sometimes found in Cabernet Franc.
Blend: 75% Cabernet Franc, 25% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2022 Cabernet Franc is ripe and voluptuous, offering slightly earthy notes of blackberry liqueur, soil and wet leaves, but it falls off quickly and slams into a wall of powerful tannins. Dark chocolate and mint tones lift the finish.
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.
As the most historic wine-producing region in New York state, winemaking in the Finger Lakes area dates back to the 1820s and today as a region, accounts for 90% of the state’s total wine production.
Its narrow and deep lakes created by the movement of Ice Age glaciers create an environment similar to the classic Riesling-loving regions of Europe, namely Germany and Austria. The Finger Lakes retain summer heat that incidentally warms up cold winter air, making it fall down from the lakes’ steep slopes. When spring comes, the lakes, already cooled by cold winter weather, stave off vine budding until the danger of frost has subsided. The main lakes of the zone, that is those big enough to moderate the climate in this way, are the focal points of prime vineyard areas. They include Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca and Cayuga.
While Riesling has fueled most of the region’s success, today Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc enjoy some attention.