The American Vine Rating
Drink Window
2025–2032
Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc with Rhône discipline — a single-vineyard expression of Seneca Lake's coolest sites.
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Medium ruby with a light rim.
Aroma: Red cherry and currant with crushed limestone, green herbs, and a smoky edge.
Palate: Medium bodied with firm, fine tannins, cool-climate acidity, and savory restraint.
Finish: Long and mineral-driven, with red fruit and a stony, slate-like grip..
Food Pairings
Roast pork loin, duck, lentil stew, chèvre
About the Wine
From the Railroad Vineyard on the east side of Seneca Lake, this Cabernet Franc is fermented with native yeast and aged in large neutral oak. The 2022 vintage captures the deep-lake moderation and rocky soils of the Finger Lakes.
About Forge Cellars
Forge Cellars, co-founded by Louis Barruol of Gigondas with Finger Lakes partners, brings Rhône winemaking sensibility to Seneca Lake, farming old-school dry-farmed vineyards for wines of mineral precision.
The American Vine's Take
The most European-tasting American Cabernet Franc I have had in years — mineral, savory, and quietly thrilling.
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