Tawse, 2016 Laundry Vineyard Cabernet Franc, VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Ontario, Canada
Cab Franc du Jour #2
Tawse Winery was established in the early 2000s and Paul Pender, their winemaker, has been on board since the very beginning. Paul is a passionate champion of Cabernet Franc from Ontario, and the winery produces a number of single-vineyard bottlings of the variety from both their own estate vineyards and from select grower partnerships across the region.
The Laundry Vineyard is located in the Lincoln Lakeshore VQA sub-appellation, which is best known for its moderate climate owing to its position along the southern shore of Lake Ontario, giving it a gentler growing environment than some of the other sub-appellations in the peninsula. The soils here are also quite distinctive: silty and very light and sandy. Heather Laundry and her family planted these vineyards in the early 1980s, making them among the oldest Cabernet Franc vines in the region. The parcel covers seven acres.
The 2016 vintage was warm and dry, and there is definite ripeness to the fruit profile here. Paul tells me that the hallmark of this vineyard is a blue-fruited character, and on the nose there is certainly a beautiful blueberry compote note balanced by herbaceous undertones of roasted bell pepper and cedar. On the palate the fruit profile is lush and follows the nose beautifully. There is a sumptuousness and an early-drinking appeal here that I quite like, but that is not to say this is all fruit and no structure. There is plenty of backbone, with medium, velvety tannins and a cleansing acidity that combine to give the wine real depth. I think there is genuine aging potential here and would be curious to see how it develops over at least another decade.
Tawse has been working with the Laundry Vineyard for Cabernet Franc since 2002, so Paul has had ample time to truly get to know the vines, the soils, and how this vineyard best expresses itself. All in all this is a really complete, seamless, and intentional example of Niagara Cabernet Franc, one where it is clear the winemaker has a very deep understanding of the vineyard.
Wine Details
Producer: Tawse
Region: Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada
Appellation: VQA Lincoln Lakeshore
Vineyard: Laundry Vineyard
Soils: Sandy loam, over clay-loam till
Alcohol: 14%