Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Cabernet Franc was aged for 32 months in French oak (which sounds like a lot, but it was well used, from six- to eight-years-old). It comes in at 13.4% alcohol. Not surprisingly, this is the submission that seems big and full bodied. FLX Cab Franc is on a roll these days. But that's not all it is. It is fresh and wonderfully juicy on the finish, the fruit rolling over the palate and lifted by the freshness. As big as it seems, only relative to its siblings this issue, this is actually very refined and gorgeously balanced. The long time in wood does subdue the grape a bit, but it does not lose character completely. In the background, there are still those hints of olive, a touch of green. Eventually, this winds up where they all did--refined and graceful, but with more fruit. Element is a boutique with production between 6,000 and 8,000 bottles. The first vintage was 2009 (for a Riesling) and the reds began in 2010. This small winery says that it intends to express its cool climate terroir. It certainly does that. These wines are by no means wimpy, but they are understated and very gracefully constructed. Those looking for fat and sweet will have to look elsewhere.
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.