Element Winery, Cabernet Franc Reserve 2010, Finger Lakes, New York

Tasting Note: A cabernet franc that displays the depth of complexity you’d expect from a pinot noir.

This purple-colored cab franc has an intensely-aromatic nose of violet, blackberry, peach stone fruit, clove, egg custard, wet leaves, and freshly-tilled earth.

On the palate the black fruit flavors lead in parallel to medium-plus acidity ending with a long, chalky, late-harvest black fruit finish as though the fruit were ripening in realtime in your mouth.

Medium tannin asserts itself and adds complexity and depth. The wine balances acidity with velvety fruit with added tertiary earthy flavor highlights.

Over an evening, the wine shifts and changes in your glass offering different insights into its make up. A New York Finger Lakes best that shows the potential for cabernet franc aging in the region.

Bottle Note: Element Winery was founded to explore cool climate terroirs, to produce wines which express their origins without preconceived notions. Delicate wines, balanced with a focus on mineral and floral aromas and higher acids using a minimalist approach that allows the grapes to speak for themselves. Dedicated to producing small quantities of wines we love. Christopher P. Bates and Robert W. Bates.