New York is home to some of the most compelling cabernet franc being produced in the United States. And while the Finger Lakes, Hudson Valley and Long Island have been important sources of the variety for several decades now, cabernet franc has been shining brighter in recent years thanks to the concerted efforts of growers and producers throughout the state.
James Suckling and Staff Writer and Taster Brian Freedman met in Manhattan in early June and conducted one of the largest-ever critical tastings and assessments of cabernet francs in New York. Over the course of 132 wines – with many of the wines tasted at the famed New York City restaurant Craft – it became clear that not only is New York’s reputation as a source of terrific cabernet franc justified, but that important stylistic differences from one region to another, and even among producers within each of them, have emerged.
Among these 132 offerings, six scored 94 and above and 95 wines reached or cleared the 90-point threshold. The best of them are energetic and judicious with their use of wood, allowing purity of fruit to take center stage. Smart producers have also been increasingly employing whole-cluster fermentation, which allows the wines to remain juicier and more dynamic on the palate, especially earlier in their evolution.