In 1985, Cameron Hosmer of Hosmer Estates Winery, known ubiquitously as “Tunker” to his friends and associates, made a then-unprecedented decision: to plant Cabernet Franc.
Lesser known than its child Cabernet Sauvignon—a French crossbreed between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc which made California’s Napa Valley world-renowned—Cabernet Franc is a distinct grape, bursting with fresh strawberry and cherry notes with deeper, earthy minerality beneath its surface. It also is well-tuned to the cooler climate of the Finger Lakes. Its naturally high acidity and vigorous growth patterns make it a survivor.
That fact, however, is a matter of retrospect. Planting the first vines was still soundly trial and error.
“We didn’t know how to grow them, we didn’t know anything about them, and there was no one really to ask the peculiarities of that variety,” Hosmer said. “So, we grew them like we grew anything else, and consequently, the resulting first wines we made were, um, not all that great.”
That was nearly 40 years ago, and through those decades of refinement, Hosmer’s Cabernet Francs have become renowned. Its 2020 vintage Cabernet Franc, for example, received a score of 93 from world-renowned wine critic James Suckling, putting it squarely in the category of “outstanding.”
Praise from Suckling cannot be understated. His time at magazines like Wine Spectator, where he served as senior editor and European Bureau chief until 2010, cemented him as one of the preeminent figures in modern wine, and one of the most respected critics on the planet. In short, if he says it’s good, the wine world listens.
The Finger Lakes as a wine region has in the past decade lifted itself from the reputation of a purveyor of juice-sweet native grape wines unworthy of any true prestige to an international haven for white wines. Most notably, Riesling, by far the most popular grape in the region and trumpeted by such lauded vintners as Hermann J. Wiemer and Dr. Konstantin Frank.
But comparably unheralded have been the region’s red wine offerings: Cabernet Franc most prominently, followed by Pinot Noir and Lemberger—or Blaufränkisch for the more sophisticated linguists. The reason for those wines going unsung is an unfortunate consequence of how the New World earned its prestige on the global wine stage, namely through the big, bold reds out of California.
It’s pressing day at Damiani Wine Cellars, the sweet, slightly funky perfume of freshly stomped Pinot Noir grapes wafting down the long, gravel driveway. Directly to the north, tumbling autumn leaves pepper an otherwise pristine view of Seneca Lake.
Winemaker Katey Larwood sits with co-founder Phil Davis at a picnic table at the edge of the vineyard. Larwood is young, clean cut, and bubbly, her earnest fervor for the wines coming out of Damiani evident in seconds of talking about the topic.
Davis is her soft-spoken counterpart, his hands wrinkled in the way only decades of farmwork can provide, and a worn baseball cap covering his thin, white locks.
“There’s always that being compared to California, for whatever reason, that’s what’s happening,” said Katey Larwood, winemaker at Damiani Wine Cellars. “But I think we should never be looking at the global wine world as being compared to X-country or Y-area, you should just be within your own area. What can you do? What are you capable of doing?”
Most Americans’ idea of red wine is likely influenced by Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir from Sonoma or Napa. Big, bold wines, absolutely bursting with in-your-face fruit notes and pushing the levels of alcohol into the 16-17% range. Those are not wines, simply due to the cooler climate and shorter seasons, that can be reliably produced in the Finger Lakes.
Rather, the red wines coming out of the Finger Lakes hover around 12% typically. They often have a slightly thinner body, and a higher acid content. But done right, they are endlessly nuanced.
Tasted direct from its fermentation vessel, Damiani’s young Pinot Noir is highly acidic, with abrupt notes of raspberry and blackberry. In time as it mellows, it takes on notes of candied fruit juxtaposed by a gravelly minerality. It’s a balanced and beautiful wine that is meant to be savored.
Davis, who co-founded Damiani alongside Lou Damiani, has been growing Pinot Noir in the Finger Lakes since 1997.
“We’ve never decided to make these overripe, highly extracted red wines that I consider just alcohol bombs,” Davis said. “That was never a focus. We’re looking more for a little more elegance, a little more supple.”
The title of most decadent of red wines found at Damiani would likely go to the vineyard’s Saperavi. Of Georgian origin, Saperavi is a deep purple grape with a pinkish flesh, lending to a profound ruby red wine. Its flavors exude bursts of currants, plums and blackberries, contrasted by lingering notes of wood, spice, and smoke. It’s a wine of diverse character that just begs to be dissected.
Those unfamiliar with Finger Lakes red wines, or with the expectation that they are simply not worth the glass they’re poured in, could likely be excused. Riesling, and the marketing behind it, has dominated the Finger Lakes, accounting for 828 of the 1,786 acres planted in the Finger Lakes, or 49%, according to the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance. Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, and Merlot combined account for 26%.
Bob Madill is a member of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation board of directors, head judge of the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition, and co-founder of Sheldrake Point Winery in Ovid. He said the time for Finger Lakes reds is coming, and its biggest hurdle is promotion outside of its immediate market.
“We punch way above our weight in terms of reputation, and that is due primarily to success we’ve had in the market that we’ve had with dry Reisling,” Madill said. “Now we’re broadening our base of appeal.”
Madill said a steppingstone for appreciation of Finger Lakes reds has been wines like Cabernet Franc rosé, a style of wine which spends a little less time sitting on the skins to produce a lighter, pinkish beverage.
“In the Finger Lakes, we can make a very good rosé out of Cabernet Franc, and consumers understand it and buy it in spades,” Madill said.
On an early October day, winemaker Julia Hoyle and Tunker’s son, Vineyard Manager Tim Hosmer, walk through the rows of trellises at Hosmer Estates. Flanking her on both sides are clusters of deep purple berries, each dangling naked, carefully trimmed of any shade-bringing leaves, a trick that lends to growing good Cabernet Franc in the cool Finger Lakes climate.
It’s harvest season, and the dance to pick each grape at peak ripeness before the killing frost sets in has begun.
Hoyle believes on the international stage, lighter, fruitier reds like what is grown in the Finger Lakes are gearing up for a moment. She said there is, for example, a high demand for Hosmer’s Cabernet Franc from Nordic countries. She said major trade publications are also now leaning towards light, fruity reds.
“London is a very important sort of tastemaker market, Decanter Magazine is out of London, there’s a lot of really important wine publications out of London,” Hoyle said. “And they’re excited about these fruitier, lower alcohol red wines.”
It’s a sentiment Madill agrees with. These are wines that are fit for the global stage and could be a major hit with consumers. But the biggest hurdle is breaking any misconceptions and efficiently marketing what these wines offer.
“We need to take on the task of taking on the success of Riesling and extending it, that’s really what we have to do,” Madill said. “By saying that, ‘If you like my Riesling, you’ll like my X.’”
Back at Damiani, Davis and Larwood are working through the end of season harvest-and-pressing rush. Months will pass before the bottles of Pinot Noir will be ready for the first pour.
Davis offered a succinct word of advice for those skeptical of those wines.
“Come out and taste it for yourself,” he said.
Gino Fanelli is a reporter for WXXI/CITY. He can be reached at gfanelli@wxxi.org.
This article appears in Nov 1-30, 2023.
