Two Sisters Winery, 2016 Blanc de Franc Sparkling, VQA Niagara River, Ontario, Canada
Cab Franc du Jour #16
Two Sisters Winery was established in 2014 and has quickly built a reputation for world-class winemaking in Canada. Their winemaker Adam Pierce has been with them since the very beginning, and they have 8 hectares of Cabernet Franc vines planted in 2007 in the Niagara River VQA sub-appellation, which falls within the broader Niagara-on-the-Lake regional appellation. The Niagara River runs north-south, with the appellation flanked to the north by Lake Ontario and to the south by the city of Niagara Falls. The vineyards face predominantly east toward the river, and the soils here are red shale with a high proportion of clay and silt.
This wine is quite special: it is the inaugural vintage of the Two Sisters Blanc de Franc sparkling wine. As the name suggests, this is a white sparkling wine made from 100% Cabernet Franc grapes, produced using the traditional method, so hand-harvested fruit, whole-cluster pressing, and a second fermentation in the bottle. The estate carries out gradual disgorgements over time in different lots, and the bottle I have here is from a later disgorgement, one of 990 bottles disgorged after 825 days on lees, which works out to roughly 27 months. They also note the disgorgement date on the label, which I think is an excellent practice.
The nose is genuinely complex, with pear, lime zest, and in classic blanc de noir fashion some red-fruited notes of cranberry and unripe raspberry, along with a lovely white flower undertone. And of course, because this is Cabernet Franc, there is a delicious herbaceous quality running underneath, coming through as celery, fennel, and a touch of mint, giving the wine real aromatic complexity. The autolytic character comes through beautifully as well, presenting as a sweet pastry note that you would expect from more than two years on lees.
The palate is wonderfully expressive. The fruit comes through beautifully, the acidity is zesty and cleansing, and the mousse is creamy and delicate. What I love most is the opulence: there is real body and richness here, beautifully balanced by the acidity, with those herbal undertones cutting through the richness and giving the wine a lovely levity. Just a delicious bottle of sparkling wine, and I am so glad I finally got to try this.
Happy New Year to everyone!
Wine Details
Producer: Two Sisters Winery
Region: Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada
Appellation: VQA Niagara River
Soils: Queenston Formation Red Shale bedrock, clay-silt topsoil
Alcohol: 12.5%