Therianthropy, 2020 “The Negotiant” Cabernet Franc, VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Ontario, Canada
Cab Franc du Jour #108
Therianthropy Wines is the brainchild of David Eiberg and his wife Anastasia Phillips, who launched the project in 2018. David studied winemaking at UC Davis and did vintages in Burgundy, California, Oregon, Canada, and South Africa before settling in Ontario. Working with select growers and vineyards primarily in the Niagara Peninsula, the focus is on organic viticulture, single-vineyard fruit sources, and low-intervention winemaking, with the goal of producing the purest possible expression of place.
The varieties David works with are those that excel in Ontario: Riesling and Chardonnay for the whites, and Cabernet Franc and Gamay for the reds. The name Therianthropy refers to the mythological process of shapeshifting, and it carries two meanings for the brand: the shapeshifting between humans and animals, and the transformation of grapes into wine. Each variety is represented by a character that is part animal, part human, each with a distinct personality brought to life on the labels by famed French artist Michel Tolmer, with the artwork changing for each wine and vintage.
David is a firm believer in Cabernet Franc as a leading variety in Ontario, and the grape is fittingly represented in the Therianthropy lineup by the character known as The Negotiant, described by David as the superhero of the range. Two Cabernet Francs are made each vintage: Le Maillot, capturing the fun and playful side of the variety, and The Negotiant, the more serious expression.
The Lincoln Lakeshore VQA Sub-Appellation
For the 2020 vintage, The Negotiant is sourced from a 1-acre parcel at the Redfoot Vineyard in the Lincoln Lakeshore VQA sub-appellation. Of all the sub-appellations in the Niagara Peninsula, the Lincoln Lakeshore is perhaps the most difficult to characterize simply, given its considerable size and the variability it encompasses.
The appellation stretches nearly 25km from east to west along the Lake Iroquois Plain, following Lake Ontario to the north and the Lake Iroquois Shore Bluff to the south. For context, the entire Niagara-on-the-Lake regional appellation is only 12km wide and is divided into four sub-appellations. The Lincoln Lakeshore also narrows considerably as you move west, from around 4.5km wide at its widest eastern point to just 1.5 to 2.5km near the towns of Grimsby and Winona.
As across the Niagara Peninsula broadly, Lake Ontario plays a central role in moderating the climate. The closer a vineyard is to the lake, the stronger and cooler the lake breezes, while vineyards further from the water in the wider eastern sections tend to run warmer. Proximity to the lake also extends the growing season, even where temperatures are slightly lower than further inland. Conditions generally cool as you move from east to west across the appellation.
The topography appears flat to the naked eye but carries a very gradual northward slope, with elevations ranging from around 80m near the lake to about 90m at the southern end of the appellation. This gently sloping, open terrain ensures uninterrupted sunshine throughout the day, which is beneficial for ripening. Soils vary considerably across the appellation, but approximately 55% of the area, concentrated in the western portion, has very sandy topsoils over a clay-loam or sandy-loam subsoil. Heavier red and grey clays appear in some localized areas. The bedrock throughout the appellation, well below the surface, is Queenston Formation red shale.
The Redfoot Vineyard
The Redfoot Vineyard covers about 25 hectares and is located in the central part of the Lincoln Lakeshore, roughly halfway between the villages of Vineland and Beamsville, toward the southern edge of the appellation, set back from Lake Ontario by around 3.5 to 4km. While it still benefits from lake breezes, this site runs a touch warmer than those closer to the water, which is well suited to Cabernet Franc. The soils here fall into the category of heavier clays: specifically, a deep, iron-rich red clay. The Cabernet Franc vines, covering about 2.5 hectares in total, were planted in the early 2000s.
In the Cellar
David’s approach for The Negotiant shifts slightly from vintage to vintage depending on the ripeness and condition of the fruit at harvest. For 2020, an excellent vintage for reds across the Niagara Peninsula, the fruit was hand-harvested and hand-sorted. David chose to ferment 75% whole cluster with the remainder destemmed, in a concrete egg. A six-day cold soak preceded alcoholic fermentation with indigenous yeast, and total skin contact ran 20 days, with pump-overs and punchdowns during that time to ensure a healthy fermentation. The wine was then aged in the concrete egg for approximately seven months before bottling.
Wine Details
Producer: Therianthropy Wines
Region: Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada
Appellation: VQA Lincoln Lakeshore
Vineyard: Redfoot Vineyard
Soils: Heavy, red clay
Alcohol: 13.3%