Hermann J. Wiemer, 2014 Magdalena Vineyard Cabernet Franc
No.16 | What's In My Glass
Lately I’ve been revisiting my notes on Hermann J. Wiemer’s Magdalena Vineyard Cabernet Franc in preparation for a presentation I’ll be giving in Chinon later this month, and remembering that I had a bottle of the 2014 in my cellar, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to check in on this nearly 10-year-old Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc.
The Magdalena Vineyard is emerging as a leading single-vineyard site for Cabernet Franc in the Finger Lakes. Purchased by Hermann in 1999, the vineyard is located on the west side of Seneca Lake, about 16km (10 mi) north of the winery. The block of Cabernet Franc that goes into their single-vineyard bottling was planted in 2004 by massale selection from clone 327 vine material from the original block that was planted in 1999.
I had a chance to visit this site with Head Winemaker and Co-Owner Fred Merwarth back in July 2021, which allowed me to get a sense of some of the nuances that makes this vineyard and block so special for Cabernet Franc.
Whil…