Kronick Wino

The Schnoz Berries Taste Like……. Cabernet Franc!

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 | Hopkins | 2 Comments

I just completed another crazy weekend at the Hopkins, but this time it was Harvest Festival 2008. Laid out amongst a long table were all the grapes that are grown on premise.

There are 9 grape varietals grown in the fields of Hopkins Vineyard: Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir (clone 110, I think), Pinot Gris, Dornfelder, Lemberger, Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc and Cayuga.

Each grape has a distinctive look, feel, roundness, cluster uniqueness, and of course…..taste. So I did what any curious on-looker / employee would do, taste them ALL! One such grape truly caught my attention and that was the Cabernet Franc! WOW - PEPPERY! Just like the wine, if you can believe it! No, really, it’s amazing! I made almost each and every wine taster that day go over to the grape  table to have a cab franc grape with their wine, just to complete the experience. It was well-appreciated by many.

Some tasting notes on the 2005 Estate Cabernet Franc:

- Nose of green bell pepper and black pepper spice (from the grape skins of course). The body is medium and tannic. The flavor is a soft mouthfeel of dried figgy fruit, tobacco smoke, dark currants and lots of oak to round everything out, light pepper in the background and a dry finish that lingers for about 10 seconds. The wine was aged in American Oak for about 18 months which did a nice job of cutting the severe peppery spice that can be daunting to most. Drink now and for the next 2-3 years. Lovely wine with cheese and spiced meats.

- Drink right out of the bottle or let sit open about 30 minutes for a smoother finish.

2005 was one of the BEST years for Cabernet Franc in CT. It yielded little fruit, but what did come out is as much quality I’ve ever experienced in a New England Cab. Get it while it lasts - there’s only about 40 cases left, I gather, at this rate.

Tags: cabernet franc, grape varietals, harvest festival, Hopkins, off the vine