Forge Cellars: 2021 Cabernet Francs

No.4 | Producer Feature

On the opening pages of the Forge Cellars 2021 Vintage Offering you will find the title “Exploration is the lifeblood of Forge Cellars.” This is a statement that I relate to whole-heartedly. I also share a strong desire to explore and ever-ending curiosity when it comes to learning - particularly about Cabernet Franc - and I always feel a certain kinship with those that share this level of passion for this grape variety.

Conceived by Rick Rainey and Louis Barruol in 2011, Forge Cellars has been built on a foundation of exploring the terroirs of the Finger Lakes through the lens of Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir - and now, much to my delight, Cabernet Franc. The winery’s first foray into the world of Cabernet Franc came in 2019 with one wine from the Willow Vineyard on the east side of Seneca Lake. In 2021, they made three single vineyard Cabernet Francs. Prolonged periods of extreme cold in January 2022 sadly resulted in no fruit for the winery to continue their Cabernet Franc pursuits in the 2022 vintage, but in 2023 the team came back strong producing an ambitious line-up of four single vineyard Cabernet Francs that will bear the Forge Cellars label. Rick has confessed that he has a bit of a thing for, as he calls it, “collecting sites,” and with a gentle and patient hand, the Forge team guides the grape variety to communicate that sense of place in the glass.

The 2021 vintage was not an easy one in the Finger Lakes. It rained and it rained, and just when you thought it couldn’t rain anymore, Mother Nature delivered you more rain. The vintage was not entirely lost for those that stayed vigilant with their work in the vineyard to manage yields, mildew and rot, and spared no expense on the sorting table to eliminate the berries and bunches that did not make the grade. I’ve tasted several Cabernet Francs from the Finger Lakes from this vintage (and from the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, which experiences very similar vintage conditions), and the quality runs the gamut from thin, weedy and undrinkable to delicate, juicy and quaffable, with some diamonds in the rough that have sufficient concentration for cellaring for the medium, or perhaps even, long term.

The Forge range of 2021 Cabernet Francs are standouts, and show what is possible when you dance with Mother Nature to produce wines that don’t attempt to deny the challenges of the vintage but rather embrace what you were given to produce a wine that is a true snapshot of a moment in time - a diary entry in a glass, if you will - and takes the drinker on an honest exploration of grape and place.

In producing their 2021 Cabernet Francs, the approach was more or less the same across all vineyard sites and in the cellar. Rick and his team worked closely with their grower partners to farm their sites according to vintage conditions to ensure the fruit stayed as clean and as healthy as possible. They strived for balanced yields at around 3 tons/acre. The fruit was hand-harvested, meticulously sorted, and mostly destemmed with around 20% left whole cluster. Fermentation was in wooden vats with indigenous yeast, and choice and frequency of extractive techniques (pump-overs/punch downs) was dependent on what best served the fruit to achieve the desired result. The total time on skins was about 25 days. Aging was in French oak barrels of various sizes, all generally 2 to 3 years of age.

I tasted all three wines at the winery in May 2023, and purchased a bottle of each to revisit at a later date. I opened all three together on the same day, and tasted them over a few days. The below notes reflect my experience with the wine on the first day, tasting and re-tasting over a few hours.

2021 Cabernet Franc, Willow Vineyard, stated alcohol 13%

The inaugural 2019 vintage of Cab Franc from the Willow Vineyard was my first introduction to Forge Cellars, and it is always a thrill to revisit a Cabernet Franc from a site that I’m already familiar with. This vineyard is farmed by 4th generation grape grower John Wagner, and is situated just south of Lodi. The block was planted in 2014, on a west-facing slope, the soils are silt-loam (Aurora and Farmington series) over shale. I found the 2021 Willow Vineyard to be in keeping with my experience with the 2019 (both cooler, wetter vintages). This expression is the most delicate of the three Forge francs, leading with sweet-tart berries like raspberry, wild blueberry, and cranberry, intermingling with notes of basil and tarragon, and a perfume of early summer flowers (think: lilacs and peonies). On the palate, the wine presents in a very crystalline manner, with moderate intensity in a lean, translucent frame, supported by a juicy and spicy middle palate experience with a sprightly pink peppercorn note. The acidity is brisk, without being austere, and the tannins are quite fine, reminiscent of linen. The wine balances playfulness and seriousness, and conjures up images of a cold, babbling brook flowing over smooth river stones in early summer.

2021 Cabernet Franc, Arlo Vineyard, stated alcohol 13%

This is Forge’s first bottling of Cabernet Franc from the Arlo Vineyard, a site that is farmed by Rick’s long-time friend Arlo Ringsmuth. Located just south of Hector on the east side of Seneca Lake, the site was planted in 2016, and while it has a west-facing orientation, the site is more or less flat with very little slope. The soils are a deeper, heavier silt-loam (Burdett and Appleton series) over shale. There was something about this wine that was instantly nostalgic for me. The nose opens with with snappy red fruits, like a mix of sweet and sour cherry, complemented by a bit of damson plum and a touch of bramble. The wine has a savoury, forest-y edge, supported by a mix of sturdy herbaceous notes, reminiscent of thyme and cedar, coupled with exotic spice notes like star anise and cinnamon. The nose reminded me a little bit of sloe gin. As the wine opens up, more purple flowers appear. The palate continues with what I like to call “sneaky acidity” - acidity that doesn’t necessarily hit you right away on the palate, but increases in volume over time on the palate and through the finish. The tannins are firm with a velvety texture, and a touch of chalkiness on the finish. Medium-bodied, fleshy, and round, the cleansing acidity and tannins bring a lot of ease and a sense of companionability to the wine overall. Of all three, this is the wine that I would likely reach for when I want something familiar and comforting.

2021 Cabernet Franc, Leidenfrost Vineyard, stated alcohol 12.8%

Rick described the Leidenfrost site to me as “epic,” and having worked with it for Pinot Noir, the decision to bottle a Cabernet Franc from this vineyard was an easy one. Planted in the early 1990s, this block is on a west-facing slope, with quite shallow, stony soils that have a silty texture (Lordstrown channery series) over shale. The nose opens in a rather demure way, with notes of bramble, black currant, coupled with rosemary, fresh bay leaf, and pink floral tones. There is a density to the nose, with spicy undertones of allspice and nutmeg. On the palate, what strikes me immediately is the wine’s structure. It stands at attention, upright. The persistence of the acidity creates tension and a sense of dynamism. The tannins are firm and chewy. This structure makes me think of an old-style wrought iron fence that encloses a garden full of prickly, black raspberry bushes and herbs. The verticality of the palate is balanced nicely by a sweet, plummy core. While there are moments where this wine feels a bit unyielding, I suspect with a little time in the bottle it will relax and some of its edginess will soften. This is a contemplative wine that will benefit in the short term from being paired with a nice piece of fatty protein to bind with its firmer tannins. I appreciate how this wine makes me think.

It is still early days for Forge’s journey with Cabernet Franc. But the fact that they have produced some great Cabernet Francs in not the easiest vintages makes me very optimistic and excited for the years ahead as Rick and his team continue down the Cab Franc rabbit hole and in doing so continue to showcase the beauty and diversity the Finger Lakes growing region has to offer.

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From the Cab Franc Chronicles video archives:

Discover the 2019 Cabernet Franc from the Willow Vineyard, and learn about Forge Cellars, the growing environment on Seneca Lake, this vineyard and more.