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Rosé—from a quality, “fine wine” standpoint, anyway—isn’t all that important a category in the Hudson Valley. Most of the wines, even the ones I’d happily drink on a hot summer day, tend to be kitchen-sink blends of vinifera and hybrid grapes, sometimes red and white varieties, and often with some saignee involved. They sell well in tasting rooms during the warmer months, but don’t demand much attention beyond that.

Wines like this Millbrook Vineyards & Winery 2025 “Fleur du Franc” Cabernet Franc Estate Rosé ($32*) remain the exception. 100% cabernet franc picked specifically for rosé production, it joins a small handful of more serious, intentional rosés out of the Hudson River Region AVA. And they are always 100% cabernet franc.

Wild strawberry and just-ripe peach fruit aromas are delicately layered with savory notes of fresh sage and bay leaf.

Juicy, dry, and concentrated, the medium-bodied palate is a bit more centered on red berries, with fresh strawberry, raspberry and just a little cherry pie filling, while the herbs from the nose take a step back. It’s balanced and bright with good acidity and a long, clean finish.

They only made 27 cases, so it may not be easy to find, but hopefully this was an experiment with an eye toward expanded production in the future.

Millbrook Vineyards & Winery 2025 “Fleur du Franc” Cabernet Franc Estate Rosé
Region: Hudson River Region AVA (New York)
ABV: 13.5%
RS: 0%
TA: 6.5 g/L
pH: 3.4
Grapes: 100% cabernet franc
Rating: 91 pts
Price: $32* (Available Here)

*Sample provided by winery

Ever-growing list of #openlocalwine offers

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Bedell Cellars winemaker Marin Brennan has made some of my favorite rosés over the past several years, whether the core Bedell bottling or one of the myriad small batch wines she’s made in recent years.

A 2021 small batch wine was particularly memorable because it was 100% estate-grown malbec—an extreme rarity on the East Coast (and probably in North America).

This year’s Bedell Cellars 2025 Rosé ($28) isn’t 100% malbec, but it’s the largest percentage in the blend—38% malbec, 34% syrah, 13% merlot, 10% cabernet franc, and 5% cabernet sauvingon—meaning it’s still one of the weirder (in a good way) rosés you’ll find in New York.

And it stood out in a recent tasting of several local rosés.

The nose is pretty and expressive, with fruity aromas of red cherry, strawberry, and watermelon layered with aromas of violets, savory herbs, and sea breeze brininess.

On the lighter side of medium-bodied, the palate is juicy and more strawberry-forward with a distinct savory streak that I love. It’s fresh and balanced with a long finish that is both fruity and floral, and a subtle salty tang.

Bedell Cellars 2025 Rosé
Region: North Fork of Long Island AVA (New York)
ABV: 12%
Grapes: 38% malbec, 34% syrah, 13% merlot, 10% cabernet franc, 5% cabernet sauvingon
Rating: 91 pts
Price: $28* (Available Here but you may find it for much less at a local shop)

I co-founded #openlocalwine, a grassroots, digital event/campaign back in 2020 to help wineries at the start of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Tasting rooms as we knew them were closed down in most of the country. At-winery sales are the lifeblood of the local wine community, and without that revenue stream your favorite wineries needed the extra support.

Through online sales, curbside pickup, and a lot of creativity, local wineries were able to weather that storm. I like to think that #openlocalwine helped just a little bit.

Once summer arrived, most were able to re-open and operate at least somewhat normally. We did another #openlocalwine event in 2021 to continue that support as wineries continued to recover financially.

Heading into 2026, I wouldn’t say that local wineries were thriving. Rising costs of fuel, labor, and other goods have and are putting a lot of pressure of wineries—all while day-to-day life is more expensive for their customers, who know have a little less money to spend on wine. Still, things were generally looking up for most local wineries.

Then, an overnight freeze across a wide swath of Eastern wine country (you can read more about it here and here) decimated the upcoming 2026 grape vintage. Some wineries don’t expect to have grapes to harvest this fall at all.

After speaking to people at a few affected wineries, I decided that it’s time for the local wine community to once again come together to help.

That’s where #openlocalwine 2026, happening July 3, 2026, comes in.

If you’re a winery that would like to share a special offer for the event, please fill out this form, promote the event, host a special event in your tasting room, and tell your story of the 2026 vintage to date!

If you’re a wine lover who would like to take part in #openlocalwine 2026 all you need to do is:

1. Get a bottle of local wine (or cider) and open it Friday, July 3. 

2. Enjoy it with a nice meal—either home-cooked or takeout from your favorite local restaurant.

3. Post picture(s) of the wine or wines online – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter – using hashtag #openlocalwine.

4. Raise a glass to the winemaker who made it.

5. Drink it and enjoy it with your family.

Please also make sure that you @ mention the winery/winemaker as well as The Cork Report on Facebook and/or Instagram (@lennthompson, and @the_cork_report on Instagram).

That will help me see and then share your posts with the larger #openlocalwine community.

Remember, ALL ARE WELCOME. I always want this event to be open to as many people as possible. That’s why I keep it easy to do and invite people from every corner of wine country to participate!

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I tend to like my rosé super fresh and crackling with acidity. This Six Eighty Cellars 2025 Pinot Noir Rosé ($21*) isn’t that, but it is a good one for a spring like this one, when the warmer weather is slow to arrive.

The nose is a bit fruitier than many Finger Lakes rosé based on pinot noir, with bright strawberry and red cherry fruit supported by the more expected earthiness of the grape, with a subtle savory, herbal edge too.

A plumper-than-you-might-expect palate is where this wine gets interesting. Spiced cherry and cranberry fruitiness is again layered with mushroom-y earthiness, but there is also a floral streak that brings a delicious complexity—particularly as it warms up a bit.

That plump, slightly richer weight is balanced by good acidity, but that acidity isn’t the centerpiece.

Six Eighty Cellars 2025 Pinot Noir Rosé
Region: Finger Lakes AVA (New York)
ABV: 12.7%
Grapes: 100% pinot noir
Rating: 90 pts
Price: $21* (Available Here)

*Sample provided by winery

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The best grüner veltliner grown in North America isn’t from New York. It’s from Pennsylvania. Galen Glen is the benchmark for the variety outside of Austria as far as I’m concerned.

But, after years of tasting a fair amount of New York-grown grüner—with mostly underwhelming results—this Fox Run Vineyards 2025 Grüner Veltliner ($20*) caught my attention during a recent tasting session.

What made it stand out? It actually tastes like grüner and that’s where a lot of Finger Lake examples fall short. They can be delicious white wines, but they often lack varietal character, which is a dealbreaker for me when it comes to such a distinctive, singular grape.

The first thing you smell on the nose is a pop of sweet lime and citrus blossom, with layers of classic white pepper grüner-ness, just-ripe pineapple, and sugar snap pea. That fruity-savory balance is what makes this wine intriguing.

That balance and subtle complexity carries over to a bright, crackling palate. It’s just off dry with the a nice core of lime and green apple fruit flavors complemented beautifully by earthy white pepper, citrus blossom, pea tendril, and lemongrass-y herbaceousness. At $20, this is a good value to boot.

Fox Run Vineyards 2025 Grüner Veltliner
Region: Seneca Lake AVA (New York)
ABV: 12.1%
Grapes: 100% grüner veltliner
Rating: 90 pts
Price: $20* (Available Here)

*Sample provided by winery

I’ve partnered The Cellar d’Or, a great wine and cider shop in Ithaca, NY, to create a one-of-a-kind wine club that delivers some of the most delicious and unique wines from the Eastern United States right to your door. These aren’t bin ends or mass-produced, factory wine garbage. These are real wines made by real people. They are the wines I’m drinking myself — from producers you’re probably not going to find in any other wine club.

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It’s been a busy few weeks at Cork Report HQ with lacrosse season in full swing, our son wrapping up his freshman year of college, a big work event that I helped plan and run, and—of course—the cabernet franc tasting panel I hosted this past Sunday.

That’s why I’m only announcing my April 2026 Cork Club picks today. I know that the wines have all been delivered and I know that at least some of you have already started enjoying the wines.

It’s been a very up-and-down time on the Cork Report tasting table of late, which is why this month’s picks don’t really have a theme other than they are all fresh, food-friendly and from the Finger Lakes.

Keuka Lake Vineyards has carved out a cool little niche with its various vignoles bottlings every year. I’ve written about them for several years now and have included them in the club too. Keuka Lake Vineyards 2024 Vignoles in this month’s shipment brings all of the tropical-floral aromas and flavors you could ever want with that classic acidic tang the the grape brings. I don’t mind a little residual sugar in my vignoles, but that’s not how KLV does it. This one is dry and racy.

I’ll be diving into into my annual new-vintage rosé tasting this weekend, but Living Roots 2025 Dry Rosé has already carved out a spot at the top of the 2025 heap. A blend of 41% cab franc, 26% blaufränkisch, and 33% pinot noir, it’s juicy and fruity with lots or red berry character and subtle layers of flowers and savory spice. I’ll be saving a bottle for Thanksgiving.

It’s been a few years since I’ve included previous vintages, but Osmote 2024 “This is Pet-Nat” has long been a favorite. 100% Cayuga White, it’s the kind of clean, crackling pet-nat I enjoy most with a really cool preserved lemon salinity on the finish.

And last, but certainly not least, is Damiani Wine Cellars 2024 Merlot, which stands out for it’s lack of new oak and freshness. If you’re going to grow and make merlot in the Finger Lakes, I think this is what you should do with it. It’s just impossible not to enjoy—especially with this extended cooler weather we seem to be dealing with in New York.

I think we may have a four-pack or two of these available, but if you want to sign up so you don’t want to miss out going forward, you can sign up here.

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Vignoles, a hybrid grape also known as Ravat 51 (for grape breeder J.F. Ravat) has long been one of my favorite hybrid varieties. When someone tells me that they “don’t like hybrids” — kind of an ignorant comment in an era where there are myriad examples of stunningly delicious wines made with hybrid grapes — I almost always recommend a vignoles. There’s a vignoles out there for just about any palate.

It retains high levels of acidity even as it gets very ripe in the vineyard. That makes it incredibly versatile in the cellar, but also a challenge at times. Mostly, you’ll see off-dry wines on shelves because a little residual sugar can balance out that high acidity. Some of the most intensely flavored dessert wines I’ve ever tasted from North America are made with it for the same reason.

But at Keuka Lake Vineyards, where vignoles is a bit of a speciality (they even have a single-vineyard bottling), the wines are always dry or nearly so. These wines are brisk and crunchy, but also age wonderfully if you can resist drinking them in their youth.

Keuka Lake Vineyards 2024 Vignoles ($20*) is very complex for the price point with a fun, fruity mixture of green apple, pineapple, lemon peel, flowers and spiced honey on the nose.

The medium-bodied, but quite brisk, palate is a bit more tropical in its fruit qualities. Pineapple and peach taste ripe with nice concentration with a cool honeyed flavor without the sweetness. Snappy acidity begs for food—or a hot summer day—and while the finish isn’t super long, it’s plenty long enough with a hit of green apple and lemon.

Keuka Lake Vineyards 2024 Vignoles
Region: Finger Lakes AVA (New York)
ABV: 13.5%
Grapes: 100% vignoles
Rating: 90 pts
Price: $20* (Pre-Release—but will be in this month’s Cork Club shipment!)

*Sample provided by winery

When I launched this Substack a few years ago, I had a very specific goal: get hired away by Wine Enthusiast right as they fully abandoned actual wine writing in favor of pay-to-play pseudo-PR and aggressively pointless infographics.

A modest dream, really. I’m nothing if not modest.

Today, I regret to inform you that this plan has worked. Probably too perfectly.

I’m thrilled/mortified/legally obligated to announce that Wine Enthusiast has hired me as their new Wine Pairings Editor, effective immediately. Yes, this is real. No, I did not ask enough follow-up questions.

As a result, this will be the final newsletter from The Cork Report before I pivot into my new role: creating wine pairings for foods no one has ever requested, and—more importantly—that should be actively avoided.

To help me succeed (their word, not mine), WE management has provided two decks of cards:

• A 200-card stack of food items, some I’ve never heard of

• a 500-card stack of wines and hard seltzer flavors

And when I say “wines,” I mean everything from “Wine” to “Saignée Rosé Made from Finger Lakes–Grown Noiret Grown on the Eastern Shores of Honeoye Lake.”

I admire that level of specificity and the fact that none of my readers will ever be able to source some of these wines, and thus cannot prove that my pairings are poorly chosen.

In theory, this range of options could make my job difficult. In practice, it just means I’ll be dumping all 700 cards on the floor of my home office and inventing a new editorial methodology I’m calling “full-contact 700-card pickup.”

My first attempts seem promising. Canned tuna with vintage Port, anyone?

You’ll start seeing these pairings soon. If you actually read Wine Enthusiast. If that’s still a thing.

It’s been nearly three years since my last cabernet franc panel tasting (paid subscribers can revisit Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 in the archives), but we’re back.

On May 3, 2026, I’ll once again gather a panel of wine industry pros to taste through a lineup of East Coast cabernet franc on North Fork of Long Island. Joining me on the panel will be:

Keith Beavers, Tastings Director & Wine 101 Podcast, VinePair

Carlo DeVito, Writer, East Coast Wineries

Byron Elmendorf*, Head Winemaker, Macari Vineyards

Allison Slute, Writer, Cab Franc Chronicles

Amy Zavatto, Editor-in-Chief, Lifestyle Publications, Times Review Media Group

Deadline Extended

The original deadline for cabernet franc submissions was March 31, but to get as many East Coast cab francs in front of this panel as possible, I’m extending that to Friday, April 17, 2026.

If you’re a winery interested in submitting your wines, please fill out the submission form before shipping the wines. Specifically for panel tastings, I prefer two bottles per submission, but I leave that to the winery’s discretion.

Want to Read the 2026 Cabernet Franc Report?

The reports that come out of these panel tastings are only available only to paid subscribers. Sign up today to ensure you get them — sent right to your email.

*Byron’s notes, feedback, and comments will be excluded from any coverage of Macari wines.

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If you’ve been reading musings for very long, you’ve probably heard this before: I don’t like how most wine reviewers taste wine. They have far more wines to get through than I ever will, so they can’t—or just won’t—spend enough time with each one. Instead of a few minutes, or even a few hours, I prefer to taste wines more like you’ll actually drink them. Every wine I review is tasted over at least three days. Often it’s five or more.

Wines like Rosemont of Virginia’s 2023 Kilravock ($39*) are exactly why.

If I’d only tasted it once—right after opening—you wouldn’t be reading about it. It was good, with all the elements I look for in a red blend, but they didn’t quite feel knit together.

There’s a reason the winery won’t release this wine until July, I suppose.

By day three, though, those elements had woven themselves into something impressive—and I still have about a glass left to revisit later today…day six.

A blend of 44% merlot, 28% cabernet franc, and 28% petit verdot, aged for 18 months in a mix of new, once-used, and neutral oak (mostly French, with some American), it opens with aromas of black cherry and blueberry preserves, licorice, fig, and brown sugar. Right after opening, there’s also a tarry, asphalt note that dissipates.

The fuller-bodied palate is polished and increasingly harmonious, with ripe black-and-blue fruit layered with licorice, dried leaves, sage, bay leaf, and a mix of peppery and sweet spice. The tannins are substantial—especially for the East Coast—but already starting to integrate, suggesting this will reward some time in the cellar if you’re so inclined.

Lately, my wife and I have been on a bit of a flat iron steak kick, grabbing one from the local butcher most weeks. This was a perfect match with a simply grilled version—just salt and black pepper.

Rosemont of Virginia 2023 Kilravock
Region: Virginia
ABV: 14.3%
TA: 5.4 g/L
pH: 3.71
Grapes: 44% merlot, 28% cabernet franc, 28% petit verdot
Production: 617 cases
Rating: 93 pts
Price: $39* (Pre-Release)

*Sample provided by winery

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Color. Tannin. Acidity. These are the things that petit verdot brings to Bordeaux-style blends in any region. They are also the things that make many varietal bottlings monolithic and somewhat inelegant. I actually enjoy some of those wines anyway for their rusticity and charm.

Rosemont of Virginia 2023 Petit Verdot ($35*) isn’t release yet, but it’s already a bit more polished (in a good way) than most examples.

The nose opens with a bunch of nutty oak before intense aromas of black and blue fruit, bay leaf, dried sage, vanilla and violets unfurl. Open on the counter for a few days, the intensity of the fruit really blossoms in the form of blueberry compote and black plums.

Big and bold, this wine brings ripe, concentrated dark fruit flavors—blueberry, plum, blackberry, and black cherry—with vanilla, black pepper, sage, and a light background note of toasty oak. Ripe tannins and a gentle bit of freshness balance out and elevate all of that fruit intensity.

The score for this wine kept going up as I tasted it over the course of four days, indicating that it should develop beautifully in the bottle.

Rosemont of Virginia 2023 Petit Verdot
Region: Virginia
ABV: 14.7%
TA: 5.6 g/L
pH: 3.76
Grapes: 100% petit verdot
Production: 146 cases
Rating: 90 pts
Price: $35* (Pre-Release)

*Sample provided by winery

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Chilled and chill-able reds continue to have a moment in the wine world and while Common Wealth Crush Co. 2024 “Family Meal” ($25) likely qualifies (it looks like a red wine and I liked it best lightly chilled) it’s actually a kitchen-sink blend of red and white grapes that including vinifera, hybrid, and muscadine varieties.

Technically a red? Perhaps not, but that’s the lane it drives in.

A blend of Virginia-grown 46% merlot, 21.5% chenin blanc, 21.5% sauvignon blanc, 6.5% vidal, 2.5% Noble (a muscadine variety I had to look up myself) and 2% pinot noir, it offers an expectedly unique-but-not-odd melange of aromas, including strawberries, lemons, oranges, flower stems, cherries, and honey.

That floral quality is a bit more forward on a lighter-bodied palate that is juicy and fresh, while layers of red cherries, more citrus, and a little orange melon make bring some nice flavor complexity. Fresh and fun, it’s enlivened by bright acidity with just a little skin tannin at the edges.

Common Wealth Crush Co. 2024 “Family Meal”
Region: Virginia
ABV: 12.3%
Grapes: 46% merlot, 21.5% chenin blanc, 21.5% sauvignon blanc, 6.5% vidal, 2.5% Noble, 2% pinot noir
Rating: 90 pts
Price: $25 (Available Here)

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Editor’s Note: Life has been extra-busy lately so I’m a bit behind on my reviews. To help make up for it, I’m going to do five “Wine of the Day” posts this week instead of one “Wine of the Week.”

Matthieu Finot, winemaker at King Family Vineyards, has long been one of my favorite Virginia winemakers for his deft use of new oak and focus on the unique terroir of his slice of the region provides. He doesn’t try to make Virginia-grown facsimiles of Bordeaux or Napa or any other perhaps better-known region. He makes wines that are distinctly—and deliciously—Virginia.

That’s not as common as you might think, by the way.

King Family Vineyards 2022 Meritage ($38*) is a blend of 51% merlot, 24% petit verdot, 23% cabernet franc, and 2% malbec. The nose starts with mostly red fruits—red raspberries and cherries, with a layer of savory herbs like dried mint and fresh sage, and hints of oak-born chocolate and spice.

Medium-to-fuller bodied, palate shows similar qualities with the addition of a gentle earthy, tobacco-y vein. The fruit flavors are concentrated, even a little jammy, with nice background notes of savory herbs. The tannins are soft and already incorporating, but provide good grip at the edges.

The finish is long with a complex layering of fruit, earth, and savoriness.

King Family Vineyards 2022 Meritage
Region: Monticello AVA (Virginia)
ABV: 13.9%
TA: 4.67 g/L
pH: 3.67
Grapes: 51% merlot, 24% petit verdot, 23% cabernet franc, 2% malbec
Rating: 91 pts
Price: $38* (Available Here)

*Sample provided by winery

I’ve partnered The Cellar d’Or, a great wine and cider shop in Ithaca, NY, to create a one-of-a-kind wine club that delivers some of the most delicious and unique wines from the Eastern United States right to your door. These aren’t bin ends or mass-produced, factory wine garbage. These are real wines made by real people. They are the wines I’m drinking myself — from producers you’re probably not going to find in any other wine club.

NOT A MEMBER? SIGN UP TODAY!

Yeah, the headline is accurate. These are the wines in my February 2026 Cork Club shipment. Yeah, I do realize it’s March. And—if you’re a member of the Cork Club—you already have your wines. But, the picture of said wines got hung up in the shop’s email outbox and I got it late last week. Sorry about that, everyone!

The good news is that two of the wines you’ve already read about in these pages.

I wrote about Millbrook Vineyards 2024 Estate Gamay Noir in early February and then about Six Eighty Cellars 2024 Gamay Noir in mid-February. If you missed those and don’t want to click on those links, the short version is that these, though quite different, are two of the best gamays I’ve ever tasted from New York.

This month’s third wine is Weis Vineyards 2023 Gewürztraminer, a pick inspired by a member’s request for an aromatic white grape that I haven’t included recently. The winery has moved on to the 2024 vintage in the tasting room, but I prefer the 2023 for it’s delicacy and melon-driven profile.

Last, and easily most unique, is Usonia Wine 2024 Pompliano Purple a wine made from the Sabrevois grape, a cold-hardy grape developed by hybrid legend Elmer Swenson. Plummy and floral with a delicious savory streak, it’s the kind of chillable red that had me daydreaming about grilled burgers and much warmer days.

Often we have a few four-packs left, but some new memberships (thank you) mean that we don’t this time. But if you don’t want to miss out on the next shipment, you can sign up here.

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They used to be fairly rare—and I’ve been doing this for more than 20 years now—but splurge-priced red blends are all over the East Coast these days. Some are made by producers who have earned the right to ask those prices. Others… have not.

At their best, these wines are among the any region’s finest and seem to improve every year as winemakers continue to refine their craft.

At their worst? They’re essentially the winery saying, “Here’s our ripest, flabbiest, oakiest red blend. That’ll be [INSERT HIGHEST PRICE ON THE LIST], please.” That’s less true than it was a decade ago but it hasn’t disappeared entirely.

Even so, a winery’s highest-priced red blend is rarely my favorite wine in the lineup. These aren’t everyday bottles, and it’s rarer still that I find one that’s not just splurge-priced, but genuinely splurge-worthy.

Macari Vineyards 2022 “Alexandra” ($85*) is one of the splurge-worthy ones.

It’s the most expensive of the winery’s four red blends (which is probably at least one too many, but that’s a conversation for another day), and it stands out because it has the structure to age beautifully while still offering approachable deliciousness right now.

I’m confident it will age well because I’ve tasted older vintages. But the blend tells me it will, too. It’s 48% cabernet sauvignon, 26% merlot, 16% malbec, and 10% petit verdot. Almost without exception, the best older Long Island reds I’ve tasted have been cabernet sauvignon–driven. Cabernet may never be a consistent year-in, year-out staple here, but in the best vintages— from the right producers—wines with a heavy dose are truly memorable.

Ripe black-and-blue fruit aromas are layered with minty lift, floral tones, grilled-meat savoriness, and a loamy, earthy undercurrent. The medium-to-full-bodied palate follows suit, with plum, cassis, and blueberry compote at the core, framed by that same earthy streak and subtle herbal and spice notes around the edges. The tannins are firm but ripe and fine-grained, and a little freshness peeks through on a long, balanced finish.

Macri doesn’t make this wine every year, but they made more than 1,000 cases in 2022 so I look forward to revisiting this wine as it moves through the tasting room.

Macari Vineyards 202 “Alexandra” Red Blend
Region: North Fork of Long Island AVA (New York)
ABV: 14%
TA: 5.59 g/L
pH: 3.59
Grapes: 48% cabernet sauvignon, 26% merlot, 16% malbec, and 10% petit verdot
Production: 1,075 cases
Rating: 93 pts
Price: $85* (Available Here)

*Sample provided by winery

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Another week, another impressive gamay—this one from the Finger Lakes.

(And another gamay that is going to be in my February wine club shipment!)

I’ve long hated things like “this WHATEVER tastes like its from INSERT OTHER, MORE-ESTABLISHED REGION.” If that’s the goal for a producer, that’s a failure. But sometimes it can be a useful tool when I’m describing a wine and trying to differentiate it from other similar wines.

In this case, Six Eighty Cellars 2024 Gamay Noir ($32*) is the most Old World, Beaujolais-esque expression of New York gamay I’ve tasted.

What does that mean? It means that while it has some nice red berry aromas and flavors, there’s also a lot of the rocky, gravelly minerality that I associate with gamay’s most famous regional home.

The nose starts with that rocky, gravel-driveway-after-a-rain-storm character with cranberry and red cherry fruit, and a subtle earthy spice layer beneath.

Juicy and medium-bodied, the palate matches the nose perfectly, striking that minerally-fruity balance perfectly. The tannins are light and powdery and the finish is long and spice-tinged.

Six Eighty Cellars 2024 Gamay Noir
Region: Finger Lakes AVA (New York)
ABV: 12.2%
RS: 0.2%
TA: 8 g/L
pH: 3.26
Grapes: 100% gamay noir
Production: 68 cases
Rating: 92 pts
Price: $32* (Available Here)

*Sample provided by winery

Happy Friday and welcome to a catch-up edition of the Tasting Table, where you’ll find some leftover cabernet franc notes as well as the first bigger batch of rosé ones.

As always, these are short, mostly unedited reviews of recently tasted wines — more or less straight from my notebook.

All wines were tasted over the course of 2-5 days.

Airy Acres Vineyard 2022 “Osprey” Red Blend ($28*)
Cayuga Lake AVA (New York)
43% cabernet franc. 43% blaufränkisch, 14% cabernet sauvignon. Nice mix of black and red fruits on the nose with peppery spice, savory herbs, mint, and tomato paste. Medium bodied palate. That tomato-y note is a bit more prominent here but plenty of ripe red fruit beneath with a little blackberry. Soft with light spice on a medium finish. 88pts.

Glen Hollow Vineyard 2024 Estate Chardonnay ($35*)
Finger Lakes AVA (New York)
Quiet nose with just a little nutty oak, lemon peel, and minerals. Medium body with more minerality and light apple and citrus flavors. Not super concentrated but good tension and freshness, with a delicate oak footprint. Long, fresh, apple-and-slate finish. 87pts.

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Not unlike dry Finger Lakes riesling that is actually dry, New York gamay that truly tastes like gamay can be elusive. There isn’t much planted to begin with, and if you’re looking for wines that resemble those of Beaujolais (or even some of the impressive examples coming out of Ontario) the pickings are pretty slim.

I’m not sure whether that’s due to clonal selection, vineyard suitability, or simply winemaking decisions. There just aren’t that many New York gamays to explore and few of them excite me.

For years, the only New York gamay I consistently recommended came from Whitecliff Vineyard in the Hudson River Region AVA. Nearby Fjord Vineyards also produces a delicious example—and their gamay noir blanc even made an appearance in one of my recent wine club shipments.

After tasting Millbrook Vineyards 2024 Estate Gamay Noir ($26*), I’m starting to wonder if gamay might feel most at home in the Hudson Valley.

Bright, intense aromas of cranberry and red raspberry are lifted by delicate purple floral notes and a hint of savory spice. Medium-bodied, the palate is just as vibrant, with a focused beam of cranberry-raspberry fruit layered with additional spice and a touch of sweet herbs. Soft tannins and crunchy acidity frame the fruit beautifully, carrying through a long, fresh finish.

Served lightly chilled or closer to cellar temperature, this is the kind of versatile wine I love to pair with a wide range of foods. It’s fruit-forward and refreshing, but offers enough subtle complexity to keep things interesting.

I’m including it in my February wine club shipment — and setting a bottle aside for Thanksgiving.

Millbrook Vineyards 2024 Estate Gamay Noir
Region: Hudson River Region AVA (New York)
ABV: 12.5%
TA: 6.15 g/L
pH: 3.75
Grapes: 100% gamay noir
Winemaking: Aged 7 months in neutral French oak
Production: 100 cases
Rating: 91 pts
Price: $26*

*Sample provided by winery

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Blends of cabernet franc, merlot, malbec, and petit verdot are anything but odd in Long Island wine country. Just about every winery makes one (or more than one) of these “Bordeaux-style blends.”

What makes Macari Vineyards 2024 “Horses” Sparkling Red Blend ($32), a blend of 40% cabernet franc, 26% merlot, 26% malbec, 8% petit verdot, unique is that it’s sparkling. And a pet-nat to boot.

(Note: I put this wine in my wine club last month, based on an at-winery tasting. This review is based on a multi-day tasting in my home).

The nose opens with cranberry juice—real cranberry juice, not the Ocean Spray stuff—setting a tart, fresh stage. Fresh strawberry follows, along with spiced apple ring and a subtle thread of savory herbs that reminds you that this wine is 40% cabernet franc and keeps it from being strictly fruity.

The palate is light on its feet, with soft carbonation and bright, refreshing acidity, and it stays true to that cran-strawberry core, picking up subtle earthy and savory notes along the way. There’s a real sense of balance here, fruit and savoriness in easy conversation, before a medium-long finish that tightens and turns quietly mineral.

Macari Vineyards 2024 “Horses” Sparkling Red Blend
Region: North Fork of Long Island AVA (New York)
ABV: 11.9%
Grapes: 40% cabernet franc, 26% merlot, 26% malbec, 8% petit verdot
Rating: 91 pts
Price: $32 (Available Here)

*Sample Provided by Winery