Putting Tenet #3 of Reverse Wine Snobbery into action reveals a great wine from an unexpected place!
80% Cabernet Franc, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot and from the North Fork of Long Island, New York. The wine spends 10 months in Hungarian oak and has no residual sugar.
Sample submitted for review. The Lieb Cellars Reserve Cabernet Franc has an SRP of $30 and is available for as low as $24 (Saturday Splurge). Ready to buy? Check your local retailers. Only 226 cases produced.
12.8% Alc/Vol. 10 Months Hungarian Oak. 0% Residual Sugar (Dry). Sustainably Farmed.
This smooth, juicy red shows complex notes of cherry, plum, violet and spiced earth. Cheers!
-Russell Hearn, winemaker
At face value, today's wine is one that many consumers would normally dismiss. The relatively unpopular variety of Cabernet Franc (at least in single varietal form) from a place - Long Island - you might not expect to make great wine. But this wine is the perfect example of why we love experimenting with new wines. And even though it clocks in a bit above our normal $20 price limit, this is one you'll definitely want to check out (and a bonafide Saturday Splurge)!
The 2016 Lieb Cellars Reserve Cabernet Franc begins with very pleasant aromas of ripe berry fruit, violets and mint plus hints of spice, tobacco and earth. Tasting the medium-bodied wine reveals juicy dark fruit with well-integrated spice and pepper along with good balance and acidity. Fine tannins and more touches of earth and tobacco lead into the dry, long finish which even features a bit of minerality. This is a really lovely example of Cabernet Franc from an unexpected place!
Interested in exploring more of the best wines from New York? Check out our growing list here!
Ready to buy the Lieb Cellars Reserve Cabernet Franc? Check your local retailers.
