Living Roots was founded in 2016, by Sebastian and Collen Hardy. They are based in Rochester, NY. Sebastian's great-great-great grandfather immigrated to Australia in 1850 and began planting vines. Sebastian's father, Geoff, joined the family wine business, Thomas Hardy & Sons, in 1975. While working as the Grower Liaison, Geoff purchased his first vineyard in 1980 and began his career as a leading viticulturist. Seb grew up in his dad’s vineyards of the Adelaide Hills. After high school, Seb worked several vintages in Australia and across Europe, and got a degree in Viticulture and Oenology in Adelaide, with an exchange in California.
Colleen grew up in Rochester, before getting a degree in marketing at Michigan State. After a few years in corporate America, she began to explore the world of wine. After landing a position as a cellar hand for the 2014 vintage at Hardy’s Tintara Winery, she left her 9-5 for a new adventure.
Around the same time, Colleen’s family bought a vineyard overlooking Keuka Lake, with ambitions of converting the native vines over to higher quality vinifera varieties now Shale Creek Vineyard.
Sebastian met Colleen during the 2014 harvest in McLaren Vale. They opened the Living Roots urban winery and tasting room in Rochester in 2017. In 2021, we set up a cellar door on their family’s K1 vineyard in Kuitpo (Australia). Their Finger Lakes winery and tasting room officially opened in the fall of 2023, overlooking Keuka Lake.
I tasted their wines for the first time at the Cab Franc Forward event in New York City in February.
Living Roots Finger Lakes Pet-Nat Rose 2025 is a Petillant Naturel made from 30% Cabernet Franc and 50% Blaufränkisch. It is wild fermented, unfiltered, and unfined. Strawberry Ruhbarb and Sour Cherry explode out of the glass and across the palate both. Subtle hints of spice and citrus. Lovely bubbles and a nice mousse. This brut rose is as lively and lovely as it is long lasting. A terrific sparkler.
Living Roots Finger Lakes Dry Rose 2025 is a bright, soft rose made from Cabernet Franc (41%), Blaufränkisch (26%), and Pinot Noir (33%).Wild fermented and unfined. Lovely notes of green apple, strawberries, bright Bing cherry and citrus on the nose and on the palate make this a refreshing and lovely wine. Nice structure. Terrific zesty finish. Clean Bright. Lovely. One of my favorite rose's of the tasting!
Living Roots Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc 2023 is 100% Cabernet Franc, fermented wild, unfined and unfiltered. Some portion of this wine was made with carbonic maceration, and gently pressed. It was aged in neutral oak. This is an elegant, sophisticated medium-bodied red wine with terrific fruit up front. The nose and the palate are rewarded with bright red fruit - tart cherry, red raspberry, cranberry and a hint of bramble are offset by a nice minerality and notes of spice, and a terrific white pepper finish that then leads to fruit that lingers a long time. Incredibly well balanced, with lovely layers throughout, and a terrific balance, this wine was again among my favorites of the tasting.
Living Roots has made some lovely Cab Franc based wines this season. A lineup of superb Cabernet Francs.