Cabernet Franc grew up in France – in the Loire and Bordeaux – but this vinifera grape has found a compatible home up and down the East Coast of the United States. Fans love the grape’s medium-high acidity and occasional whiff of ripe bell pepper.
In the cool-climate Finger Lakes, Cab Franc has become one of the main go-to red grapes. In particular, area winemakers love to press the juice of this grape into rosé. In years past, before Covid 19 put the kibosh on events, wineries in the region hosted a Drink Pink rosé month in April. Now, with social media proclaiming #roseallmay and summer fast approaching, the time is right to explore Cab Franc rosé.
I was grateful to receive samples from three different wineries for the Wine Pairing Weekend (#WinePW) Twitter chat about Finger Lakes wines on June 13, starting at 8 am PT/11 am ET. Hope you can join us that day by following the hashtag. Please see the invitation post for background on these wines and this look at two pair of Finger Lakes Riesling.
All three rosé samples are 2019 wines – regarded by the region’s producers as an excellent vintage. Sunny, dry days and cool nights throughout the fall created ideal conditions for a balance of sugar and acidity. So let’s see how these wines compare with one another.
(Please note that while the wines for this post were provided, opinions are my own.)
2019 Buttonwood Grove Winery Rosé
Located on the western shore of Cayuga Lake, Buttonwood Grove is a small, family-run business on 25 acres. Estate-grown grapes include Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Riesling. Vines planted more recently are Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Gewürztraminer.
Dave and Melissa Pittard both grew up 35 minutes away from Buttonwood Grove, in Skaneateles, NY. Dave worked from an early age up at his family’s Beak & Skiff Apple Farm in Lafayette, NY, where he produced apple-based wines, vodka, and cider. Since the Pittards’ purchase of the winery in early 2014, they’ve expanded the vineyards and completed construction of a new winemaking building.
Geeky stuff: Grapes for this rosé were sourced from several partner vineyards throughout the Finger Lakes American Viticultural Area (AVA), on Cayuga, Skaneateles, and Seneca lakes. Soils vary but are mainly sedimentary glacial with deposits of clay and limestone. Grapes are left on their skins overnight before pressing. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel.
My tasting notes: Ballet-slipper pink in color. Highly aromatic nose singing of strawberry and rose petals. More of the same on a tingling, medium+ acidity palate. Light body. Medium finish. Alcohol: 12.6% Price: $15.99.
2019 Wagner Vineyards Dry Rosé of Cabernet Franc
Founded in 1979 and family owned for five generations, the 250-acre Wagner Vineyards Estate Winery is one of the oldest in the Finger Lakes and the first to open on the east side of Seneca Lake.
Wagner produces more than 30 wines from estate-grown grapes on 110 vineyard acres. Grapes are planted to 20 different varieties, including vinifera (Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, and Pinot Noir) as well as grapes native to the United States (Niagara and Cayuga), and hybrids (Vignoles and Vidal Blanc).
Geeky stuff: Grapes for this rosé were grown in deep, well-draining Honeoye silt loam (silt loam topsoil with clay underneath), harvested at night, and cold-soaked 12 hours prior to pressing. Cool fermentation in stainless steel.
My tasting notes: Salmon in color. Bright aromas of strawberry and raspberry, followed by more strawberry and a hint of mint on the palate. Medium acidity. Light body. Medium finish. Alcohol: 12.2% Price: $14.99
2019 Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars Dry Rosé
Now in its third generation on the eastern side of Seneca Lake, the family-owned Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars produces wines from 20 different estate-grown varieties on 107 acres. Riesling and Chardonnay make up the majority of their vineyards; they also grow Cabernet Franc, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grüner Veltliner, and Muscat Ottonel.
Vineyards are sustainably managed using the following practices:
- Cover crops for soil retention.
- Drainage tiling with natural buffers to prevent water runoff and erosion.
- Return of pomace, leaves, and vine-pruning material to the vineyard as added mulch to eliminate need for synthetic fertilizers.
- Use of primarily sulfur to prevent disease with other fungicides and pesticides used depending on weather conditions or pest levels.
Geeky stuff: Soil type in the Cabernet Franc vineyard is Honeoye silt loam. Grapes for the rosé were machine picked and destemmed, and then pressed directly with about an hour of skin contact. Fermented in stainless steel.
My tasting notes: Pale pink in color. Subtle aromas of white peach and rose petals. Juicy ripe grapefruit dominates the palate. Zingy, medium+ acidity. Light body. Medium+ finish. Alcohol: 13.1%. Price: $16.99.
Conclusions: The Buttonwood Grove and Wagner rosés are similar to one another; the Lamoreaux Landing rosé is different. Less time spent on grape skins may account for some difference in color and aromatics. But there are a host of other factors to consider – soil (the Wagner and Lamoreaux Landing soils are the same), type of yeast, direction the vineyards are facing, harvesting day and time, condition of the grapes themselves, and how the winemaker presses and handles the grapes. My recommendation is to enjoy comparing them and choose the one you like best!
The pairings
Appetizers were on the menu for these three Cab Franc rosés:
- Mascarpone/walnut crostini
- Celery stuffed with cream cheese, olives, and capers.
Mild cheese was a hit with all three wines.
The zingy Lamoreaux Landing rosé particularly took to the quick and easy marscapone/walnut crostini – and vice versa. Creamy marscapone mellowed the wine’s high acid, and a little bit of acid perked up the toasts and gave them some pizazz.
Olives and capers in the cream cheese spread buffed up and brought out a savory quality in the Buttonwood Grove and Wagner rosés.
Here is a rundown of the posts and pairing ideas the #WinePW bloggers are sharing. Hope to see you on June 13!
- Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm is “Exploring the Wines of New York’s Finger Lakes Region”
- Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla is pairing “Bibimbap with Garden Banchan + Forge Cellars Classique Riesling 2017”
- Lori at Exploring the Wine Glass is “Delving Into the History of the Finger Lakes with John Wagner”
- David at Cooking Chat is exploring “Finger Lakes Wine Paired with Everyday Favorites”
- Cindy at Grape Experiences shares “An Impressive New York Treasure: the Finger Lakes Wine Region”
- Teri at Our Good Life pairs “Zero Degree Riesling with Pan Seared Scallops over Cheesy Grits”
- Jeff at foodwineclick suggests “New York Finger Lakes – I Hope You Like Riesling!”
- Jill at L’OCCASION offers “New York Finger Lakes: Wine For Summer Pairings”
- Pinny at Chinese Food and Wine Pairings shares “New York Finger Lakes Wines – Lonesome Stony Rose and Fox Run Rieslings Paired with Quick-Prepped Seafood”
- Jane at Always Ravenous offers “Picnic Fare Paired with Finger Lake Wines”
- Rupal at Syrah Queen discusses “The Charm Of New York Finger Lakes Rieslings”
- Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles is pairing “Finger Lake Riesling and Alsatian salmon.”
- Gwendolyn at wine predator offers two posts: “Two Riesling from the Finger Lakes Paired with a Potluck” and “#RoseAllDay for #RoseDay: 3 from New York’s Finger Lakes”
- Susannah at avvinare shares “Delightful wines from the Finger Lakes”
- Jennifer at Vino Travels takes a look at “Wines from Around Upstate New York’s Finger Lakes Wine Region”
- Finally, Linda at My Full Wine Glass is sharing two posts: “Three takes on Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc rosé” and “Two pair of Finger Lakes Riesling – a winning hand”
Mascarpone/walnut crostini sounds so yummy! And I love that this region has embraced Cab Franc!
These wines were perfect to serve with light appetizers, preferably poolside.