So I participated in a tasting offered by the Garden State Winegrower's Association about New Jersey Blaufrankisch. The program was over overseen by Tom Cosentino and David Furer. Noted wine grape geneticist Dr. José Vouillamoz, best known for his foundational contribution to Wine Grapes, led a Zoom presentation for a limited number of US wine media about the grape Blaufränkisch/Lemberger on Friday, April 30, 2021 on behalf of Garden State Wine Growers Association. In addition to his talk about the history of the grape, Dr. Vouillamoz also conducted a tasting of five New Jersey Blaufränkisch wines with the assembled media. Just thrilled they called me media, because I have been called much worse.
Blaufränkisch (German for blue Frankish) is a dark-skinned variety of grape used for red wine. Blaufränkisch, which is a late-ripening variety, produces red wines which are typically rich in tannin and may exhibit a pronounced spicy character. DNA profiling has shown that Blaufränkisch is a cross between Gouais blanc (Weißer Heunisch; male parent) and Blaue Zimmettraube (female parent; the offspring of Blauer Gänsfüsser). Historical sources of grapevine classification have provided very solid evidence that the geographic area of origin of the variety is Lower Styria (today Slovenian Styria). In America the grape is also known as Lemberger, Blauer Limberger or Blue Limberger and is grown in Pennsylvania, Washington state, Michigan, New Jersey, Idaho, New York, Colorado, Ohio, Virginia, and California.
Cedar Rose is located in Millville, NJ. For them, the vineyard is a dynamic environment where conditions are constantly changing. Attention to detail is a priority, and the cornerstone of their management program. Timing is crucial, and vigilant observation of the weather is paramount. In the end, the ultimate goal is to harvest the fruit at the zenith of quality, and to choose a style for each individual lot that will demonstrate the greatest attributes of the fruit and the vintage.
They believe that wines are made in the vineyard. The unique characters, the flavors, the differences between varieties, are largely responsible for the distinct personality of a wine. While the influence of the winemaker is critical to creating beautiful wine, they believe that role should be one of guidance rather than direction. The winemaker should act as an instructive parent, correcting unacceptable actions and praising positive ones, rather than a drill sergeant, commanding direction and action. I like their ethos.
Dustin Tarpine and Steven Becker
Dustin and Steven are the owners of Cedar Rose Winery, one of the newest kids on the block. But they are already well known within the region's wine community. They offer vineyard maintenance service to other wineries, and have been doing so for some time. They are very well regarded. This is their own winery now, though. A lot of people are watching. And so far the results have been impressive.
This Cedar Rose Blaufrankish 2016 is a medium bodied, dry red wine grown in the highly productive outer Coastal Plain region. But the grapes for this wine actually come from Terra Nonno's vineyard. Terra Nonno's is less than five miles from Cedar Rose, and the guys from Cedar Rose help manager Terra Nonno's vineyard. Cedar Rose has a small planting of Blaufranisch on their one vineyard site, and they forsee more plantings in the future. This one was 100% Blaufrankisch. The fruit sits on the skins approximately 14 days.
This is a big, fruit forward wine, notes of cherry, plum, gooseberries, blackberries, violets, and spices with black pepper. This wine is juicy and approachable on the palate. Lot's a great fruit that lingers. This is a very lovely wine. It's clear that the fruit being grown at Terra Nonno's is exceptional as I also liked their blaufrankisch. But I was thrilled to taste this wine. Impressive. Lovely structure. Nicely layered.
Jose had mentioned that the wine finished so nicely, that he just wanted to drink more. All I wanted to do when I was drinking this wine? I wanted to eat. Pasta. Light grilled meats. Antipasto. The fruit just keeps on coming, and you just want to drink more. And have something to eat with it.. Bring on some food, and make sure to bring more than one bottle of this Cedar Rose Blaufrankisch. It will be gone, I promise. Don't worry! And enjoy!
Cedar Rose is a place to watch!
