Description
Expert Review – Vintage 2023
James Suckling 95 Points | A very pretty red with blackberry, black-cherry, flint and crushed-stone aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied with a firm, focused tannin structure under the poised fruit. Long and caressing. Complex and crunchy. Drink or hold.
The Wine Advocate 91 Points | The 2023 Cabernet Franc Magdalena Vineyard boasts slightly darker-hued fruit than the regular bottling, with the aromas tending toward black raspberries and black cherries. At the same time, it’s perhaps a bit less leafy but still reasonably floral. In the mouth, the wine is medium- to full-bodied and silky-textured, with soft tannins that linger on the finish.
Winemaker Description
Our single-vineyard iteration of our pillar red variety, Cabernet Franc, with more weight and structure than our traditional version. This fruit hails from a two-and-a-half-acre block within our Magdalena Vineyard- a warmer site which produces fruit that is amongst our ripest picks in each vintage. This additional development yields bold tannins up front which advance into red fruit transitioning to purple; black cherries, red plums, holiday seasoned cranberries. Texture, depth, and freshness are found in green flavors and garden soil earthiness, thanks to the rain of the earlier part of the ’23 vintage. A drier and hotter fall is to thank for the counterbalancing fruit and composition.
Upon release, this Cab Franc has youthful muscularity to it, and has been destined to cellar beautifully. Drink now through 2038.
Perfect for pairing with rosemary roasted Parsnips and Lollipop Lamb Chops or Maple Roasted Butternut Squash with Pomegranate Seeds and Pepitas.
Memo Summary Notes
The Hermann J. Wiemer Cabernet Franc “Magdalena Vineyard” 2023 is a standout single-vineyard red from arguably the most prestigious estate in the Finger Lakes. While the winery is world-famous for Riesling, their Magdalena Vineyard—a warmer, 2.5-acre site on the western shores of Seneca Lake—is known for producing the region’s most “serious,” age-worthy Cabernet Franc.
The 2023 vintage is a significant release, as it was recently highlighted by James Suckling as one of the top-scoring New York reds ever tasted.
Pair with – Meats: Roast pork belly with sweet soy, lollipop lamb chops, or a classic steak with arugula and Parmigiano.
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Vegetarian: Maple-roasted butternut squash with pomegranate seeds or a hearty lentil soup.
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Service: This is a “serious” red; decant for 30 minutes to let the flinty mineral and tobacco notes emerge from the primary fruit.
