While at the Cab Franc Forward event in New York City in February 2025, I tasted a spectacular pair of Cab Francs from Hermann J. Weimer Vineyard. I first met Hermann way back in 2000, when I wrote the East Coast Wineries book for Rutgers University Press. I had noidea of his impact then, but one taste of his wines, and I was impressed.
According to the website, founded in 1979, Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard is a pioneer of viticulture and winemaking in the Finger Lakes. Simplly put, Weimer was one of the most important people in American wine in the 20th century. In 2003, Hermann’s apprentice Fred Merwarth took charge of winemaking and vineyard management. In 2007, Hermann officially retired, handing over the winery to Fred, who partnered with his university friend, Swedish agronomist Oskar Bynke, to carry on Hermann’s legacy. Currently, the Wiemer estate spans 90-acres of prime vineyard sites on the western slopes of Seneca Lake and the wines are among the most acclaimed in the region. Estate fruit is hand-harvested and hand-sorted, fermentations rely on indigenous yeasts, and the wines are of the highest caliber.
Oskar Bynke at Cab Franc Forward
Hermann J. Weimer Magdelena Vineyard 2022 is their single-vineyard Cabernet Franc, a two-and-a-half-acre block within their Magdalena Vineyard. It is the ripest of all thr fruit grown in that block. The wine shows shades of dark red and purple. On the nose and palate, dark cherries, Damson plums, and stewed cranberries come across. There's also an earthiness to the wine, and a lovely swirl of tannins and acidity that helps the fruit linger.
Fred Merwarth
The 2023 Hermann J. Wiemer Cabernet Franc is a slightly more intene experience, though still a baby in the bottle. 100% Cabernet Franc from the same two-and-a-half acre spot within the Magdelena Vineyard. Harvested in October, it was fermented with indigenous yeast, and aged in stainless steel and neutral oak barrels. The wine exhibits a black cherry color in the glass, notes of cherries, raspberry, plums, and bramble fruit. Nice touches of black pepper on the end, with lovely mineral notes.
Both of these wines delivered incredible flavor and tremendous texture, while also displaying excellent complexity. Two incredibly sophisticated wines.