The American Vine Rating
Drink Window
2025–2032
The standout of the Meadowbrook lineup — deeper structure, dark fruit, and a long finish that signals real aging potential for a New Jersey red.
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Deep ruby-violet with a clear, bright rim.
Aroma: Lifted violet, dark cherry, and cassis on the nose, with cedar, graphite, and a whisper of tobacco leaf.
Palate: Full-bodied with silky tannins, dark plum, black cherry, and earthy complexity. Balanced acidity carries the fruit through a long, structured finish.
Finish: Long and layered — dark fruit, dried herbs, and a mineral thread that lingers well past the swallow..
Food Pairings
Roasted lamb, duck breast, aged gouda, mushroom risotto
About the Wine
The 2023 Reserve Cabernet Franc is Meadowbrook's most complete wine — a selection of the estate's best fruit, aged longer and with more care, producing something that sits comfortably alongside the best Cab Francs being made anywhere in America.
About Meadowbrook Winery
Meadowbrook Winery in Hunterdon County, New Jersey has spent years building toward this kind of wine. The estate's clay-loam soils, warm summers, and the winemaking vision of Conor Quilty have produced a lineup that consistently punches above its regional weight.
The American Vine's Take
This wine does not need a caveat about New Jersey. Evaluated on its own terms, against any Cabernet Franc being made anywhere in America, the 2023 Reserve is exceptional — a wine that signals real aging potential and a winery operating at the top of its game.
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