2024 Willow Cabernet Franc
Disciplined and studious, Willow Cabernet Franc is a master of its craft. Innately complex and imaginative, it continues to broaden and fine-tune its technique each vintage. In our fourth vintage of this wine, we have witnessed it respond to four very different types of vintages with great poise from 2019 to 2023 (sadly, the winter’s take in 2022 meant no harvest for this red plot). One of the northernmost vineyards in our collection on Seneca Lake, Willow provides reassurance and sign of great vines tended to with care.
In comparison to our other Cabernet Franc lieux-dits, Willow is a bit more nimble and sultry on the palate in the way it tickles the senses, moving in a calm and calculated manner.
Willow rests in the heart of 250 acres of grapes planted by five generations of the Wagner family. Along with the fascinating natural history of the Finger Lakes, we must not forget about the people that have brought this region to life, cultivating a community indebted to the hard work of these pioneers. Willow is farmed today by by John Wagner, a fourth generation grape-grower whose father, Bill Wagner, was among the first wave of farmers to construct a winery when the Farm Winery Act of 1976 was passed. Without the ingenuity of multi-generational farmers like the Wagners, we could not paint such a vivid narrative of Seneca Lake. Many of the stories shared throughout the region (and many that we share with you) are passed on from generations of families who helped give this land voice and care for it as kin.
vineyard details
East side Seneca Lake - Lodi
Soils: Aurora and Farmington silt loam on shale
Elevation: 725 ft.
Year Planted: 2014
Harvest Date: Oct. 11
Hand-harvested and sorted
Spontaneous fermentation in wooden vat
Alcohol: 14.4% by vol.
Production: 529 cases