DOUBLE-GOLD MEDAL WINNERS:

Jamesport Vineyards
2010 Cabernet Franc
(North Fork, Long Island) $35

This wine is made from a blend of Cabernet Franc (92%) and Merlot (8%) – sourced from the Mattituck Farm – with barrel aging in French oak for 18 months.

Aroma: Dark cherry, red cherry, tea berry, blackberry jam, fruity, tutti frutti, lemon, very juicy, violets, rose, floral, herbal, dark chocolate, some earth notes, mushroom, tobacco, wood, oak, elegant.
Palate: Aged cherry, black cherry, dark plum, currants, briar fruit, lemon, juicy, chocolate notes, earth, leather, wood, oak, tannic, perfect acid, excellent food wine, well done, elegant.
Finish: Lemongrass, tart, leather, oak, complex, layered, balanced, flavorful, soft, elegant, super long.

Double Gold Medal

Kings Garden Vineyards
2010 Cabernet Franc
(Seneca Lake, Finger Lakes) $18

Grapes are harvested from a gently sloping, loamy vineyard on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake and following a gentle pressing and fermentation the wine is aged in oak barrels.

Aroma: Ripe black fruit, dark cassis, black cherry, black currant, fig, apple juice, bell pepper, spearmint, crisp, earthy, forest floor, leather.
Palate: Brambleberry, ripe berries, plum, cherry, currants, baked fruit, orange peel, juicy, bell pepper, peppery, mineral, light leather, tannins, high acid, well balanced, young, brash, will age well.
Finish: Subtle cherry, currants, nice acidity, delicate, long.

Double Gold Medal

GOLD MEDAL WINNERS:


Millbrook Vineyards
2013 Proprietor's Special Reserve Cab Franc
(Hudson Valley) $26

This wine is a blend of Cabernet Franc (90%) and Merlot (10%), with oak aging for 12 months prior to bottling.

Aroma: Red cherry, raspberry, blackberry, cassis, blueberry, black currant, black cherry, plum, dark fruit, violets, lightly floral, light spices, minerals, earth, leather, oak, lovely.
Palate: Dark fruit, sweet plum, juicy blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, berries, cherry, cranberry, hint of pepper, light spice, mint, big wood, juicy, medium tannin.
Finish: Briar fruit, cherry, vegetal, wood, clean, flavorful.

Gold Medal

Vineyard View Winery
2012 Cabernet Franc
(Keuka Lake, Finger Lakes) $22

Grapes for this wine were harvested from a vineyard on the east side of the bluff on Keuka Lake, and were barrel fermented and barrel aged in American oak for 16 months.

Aroma: Blueberry, raspberry, ripe berries, plum, cherry, currants, apple, bright lemon, slight bell pepper, floral, light leather.
Palate: Plum, blackberry, strawberry, cherry, citrus, floral, butter, vanilla, clotted cream, mushroom, toasted oak, tannins, high acid, soft, round, perfectly balanced, layers of flavor.
Finish: Fruity, cinnamon sugar, marshmallow, creamy, mint, subtle, silky, flavorful, elegant, long.

Gold Medal

Chateau Niagara Winery
2012 Cabernet Franc
(Niagara Lake Plain, Greater Niagara) $30

Grapes for this wine hailed from the sandy, gravely soil of the Niagara plain that contains a good amount of limestone. Following ripening during a long, hot and dry growing season, the fruit was fermented with extended maceration and aged for 12 months in new Hungarian oak prior to sterile filtration and bottling.

Aroma: Plum, black plum, dark cherry, deep red cherry, berries, grape jam, raisin, mint, forest floor, tobacco, leather.
Palate: Plum, currants, bing cherry, blueberry, dark berry, chocolate, roasted coffee, light spice, light saddle leather, wood barrel, light oak, great structure, balanced, Old World style, great food wine, quite impressive.
Finish: Black cherry, cherry strudel, faint cinnamon, mint, wood, holds up, long.

Gold Medal

Toro Run Winery
2013 Semi Dry Riesling
(Cayuga Lake, Finger Lakes) $18

This wine was produced from 100% Estate Grown Riesling grapes that were hand harvested. Following crushing and pressing, fermentation and aging took place entirely in stainless steel, with the resultant wine having 1.6% residual sugar.

Aroma: Green apple, pear, orchard fruit, white grape, slight melon notes, lemon zest, honey, honeysuckle, hibiscus, faint white flowers, floral.
Palate: Gala apple, juicy orchard fruit, peaches, white grape, kiwi, pamplemousse, drizzled honey, subtle green pepper, light lemongrass, almond, mineral, wood notes, good acidity, dry.
Finish: Lemon, passion fruit, pineapple, chewy, short.

Gold Medal

Hunt Country Vineyards
2012 Cabernet Franc
(Keuka Lake, Finger Lakes) $17

This 100% Cabernet Franc from grapes grown on Hunt Country Vineyard and Green Acres Farm was partially fermented in stainless steel, as well as in small batch open containers and was aged in French oak for 18 months prior to bottling.

Aroma: Dark cherry, blackberry, sweet berries, currants, bell pepper, peppery, cinnamon, clove, sweet spices, mushroom, earth, forest floor.
Palate: Tart cherry, dark cherry, red plum, blackberry, currants, jammy briar fruit, loads of fruit, luscious, yellow bell pepper, green bell pepper, slight vanilla, spicy, subtle anise, light leather notes, wood, oak, some tannins, low acid, nicely balanced.
Finish: Light cherry, sour cherry, dark fruit, hint of blackberry, lemongrass, musty, nice, delicate, clean, short.

Gold Medal

SILVER MEDAL WINNERS:

Boundary Breaks Vineyard
2012 Semi Dry Riesling
(Seneca Lake, Finger Lakes) $20

Made from a single clone of Riesling (Geisenheim #110) from vines planted in 2009 and 2010 in a vineyard on the east side of Seneca Lake, this wine underwent slow, extended fermentation in stainless steel and has a residual sugar of 3.7%.

Aroma: Pear, gala apple, peach, grape, grapefruit, honeysuckle, bell pepper, vegetative, slightly floral, light leather, slate. stone.
Palate: Sweet apple, apple cider, peach, subtle pear, hint of melon, honey, floral elements, violets, tangy, medium acidity.
Finish: Granny Smith apple, honey, very light citrus, fresh, clean, tangy.

Silver Medal

Millbrook Vineyards
2013 Proprietor's Special Reserve Dry Riesling
(Hudson Valley) $16

Grapes for this wine were sourced from a hillside vineyard, with soil containing large amounts of shale, and totally fermented in stainless steel.

Aroma: Juicy pear, golden apple, white peach, apricot, acacia, light floral notes, hint of lavender, slate, mineral, elegant.
Palate: Green apple, juicy pear, peach, apricot, stone fruit, honeydew, citrus, lemon, lemongrass, slightly tart, light vanilla, minerality, dry.
Finish: Citrus, crisp, light buttery, delicate, ripe, round, long.

Silver Medal

Jamesport Vineyards
2012 Riesling
(North Fork, Long Island) $25

This wine is produced in the “classic style,” with cool fermentation at 55 degrees Fahrenheit, resulting in the development of excellent acidity (3.4 Ph).

Aroma: Honey, green apple, white mulberry, herbaceous, mineral, subtle white oak, wood notes.
Palate: Pear, orchard fruit, white grapes, citrus, bell pepper, rose petals, mushroom, mineral notes, wood, nicely balanced, dry, great with oysters.
Finish: Lemon, hint of lemon creme, yellow delicious apple, tangy fruit, creamy, white pepper, slate, mineral.

Silver Medal

Toro Run Winery
2011 Cabernet Franc
(Cayuga Lake, Finger Lakes) $18

Grapes from this wine were hand-harvested from a vineyard four miles “up the road” from the winery. Following fermentation the wine was aged in a mix of new, one-year-old and two-year-old French oak for 18 months prior to bottling.

Aroma: Cherry, red cherry, plum, dark fruit, tutti frutti, sweet spice, light chocolate, light leather, earth, oak.
Palate: Cherry, plummy, dried plum, plush red fruit, subtle lemon, tart, mineral, light oak, wood, tannic, high acid.
Finish: Plum, tart, light spice.

Silver Medal