Cellar Profile
Konstantin Frank arrived in New York from Ukraine in 1951. A PhD holder in viticulture and doctor of plant sciences, Frank was the first to experiment with vitis vinifera in the state, where plantings had been confined to vitis labrusca and Concord varieties. Situated at the heart of the Finger Lakes region, on the southwestern hills surrounding Keuka Lake, the winery has a collection of old vine plantings that few others in North America can rival. The work is done in the vineyard, with a very deft touch by the winery, focusing on food-worthy, lively wines of elegance and depth, wines that keep the palate fresh, inviting another sip. Grapes are sourced primarily from the original estate Keuka Lake vineyards, where shale soils provide minerality and acidity, but also from Seneca Lake vineyards, which are warmer, imparting more weight and upfront fruit.
Region
The Finger Lakes region of New York State is an exciting, emerging area for cool climate wines of freshness and elegance. Despite its relative anonymity, this American Viticultural Area (AVA) was established in 1982, more than 40 years ago! Less than a 5 hour drive from both Toronto and New York City, this bucolic area is now home to over 160 wineries. Grapes here range from the obscure (Rkatsiteli) to the familiar (Riesling). Regardless of the variety, the wines all exhibit Old World freshness, bright flavours and elegant structures that are perfect accompaniments to a wide variety of foods and festivities.
Vineyard
Most of the fruit for this bottling comes from estate vineyards on Seneca Lake, located in Hector, New York, in the warmest mesoclimate in the Finger Lakes known as the ‘Banana Belt’. Temperatures here are a few degrees warmer than Keuka Lake, with more sun exposure, providing a longer growing season and riper fruit aromas and flavours. Soils on Seneca are characterized by deep honeoye silt loam. These vineyards were planted in 2010 and 2016 (not in production yet) from original cuttings from Dr. Konstantin’s first plantings in the early 1960s. A small portion of the blend contains grapes from Dr. Konstantin’s original 60 year-old plantings from the Keuka Lake vineyard.
Winemaking
Grapes are hand-harvested and crushed into stainless steel. There are twice daily pumpovers of the cap before a traditional fermentation using selected yeasts takes place. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation and aging in both new and used French oak barrels, resting for 16 months before bottling.
Varieties
Saperavi is one of the oldest grapes still used in modern winemaking, tracing its roots back thousands of years to Georgia, where it is still the dominant variety to this day. It is a teinturier, meaning the pulp and juice are high in anthocyanins and are pink. Typically, the juice from red/black grapes is clear and the colour in your wine glass comes from skin contact during the winemaking process, not from the colour of the grape pulp or juice. Saperavi is a high acid varietal but its thin skins and large berries do not impart astringency or high tannins.
Tasting Notes
Vibrant violet in color with bright, brambly berry scents and a dusting of dried herbs. Fresh and juicy, yet supple and serious. The spicy fruitiness is rounded by layered complexity of earth and oak. Not quite as robust as its Hungarian or Georgian counterparts, it is still rich enough to pair with paprika-laced stews, grilled meats or cassoulet.