Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery is a winery in Rio Grande section of Lower Township in Cape May County, New Jersey. A family dairy and produce farm since 1940, the vineyard was first planted in 1997, beginning with Cabernet Sauvignon. The winery opened their doors to the public in 2009 with their first vintage in 2007. Today, Hawk Haven has 16 acres of grapes under cultivation, and produces 5,000 cases of wine per year. The winery is named for the large number of hawks that migrate to the farm every year. They currently have sixteen different varietals and all of the grapes are harvested, pressed, fermented, aged, blended, and bottled on site.
According to Wikipedia, "Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery is located in the Outer Coastal Plain AVA, and produces wine from Albariño, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Tempranillo, Viognier, and Pinot Noir grapes. The vineyard serves as a winegrowing test site for Rutgers University to study whether Lagrein and Teroldego grapes can be grown in the climate of New Jersey. Hawk Haven is the only New Jersey winery that uses Lagrein and Teroldego, which are red vinifera grapes indigenous to the Trentino-South Tyrol region of Italy."
Todd & Kenna Wuerker own the winery/vineyard. Todd makes the wines. Lalo Serra is the viticulturalist.
Hawk Haven Cabernet Franc Reserve 2022 is a lovely, medium bodied red wine with lots of lovely red fruit - ripe cherries, red raspberries, red currants, pomegranate, and plums. A hint of blackberry. There are other softer floral notes, herbs, and spices, as well as a slight minerally note, and hints of cedar. A lovely touch of tea and white pepper finish the wine. This red just keeps giving well beyond the finish, as the red cherry notes linger a long time. An excellent Cabernet Franc.
Hawk Haven Vineyard OA Cabernet Franc 2022 is a single vineyard varietal red. The OA stands for Orley Ashenfelter who is one of the outstanding growers in the region. Orley Ashenfelter, a Princeton economics professor and founder of the American Association of Wine Economists (AAWE), is renowned for using economic models to analyze wine, specifically proving that weather patterns, rather than expert taste tests, best predict grape quality and price. He operates his own vineyard in New Jersey, planting his first block in 2016 in the Outer Coastal Plain to produce high-quality, local, cool-climate grapes.
This is a big, opulent red wine, dark red, with tinges of purple, and has notes of black raspberry, black cassis, ripe cherry, graphite, and herbs. on the nose. Those come across on the palate as well as plumbs and other spices, cedar, and notes of white and black pepper. Lovely black tea notes as well. And just enough acidity to carry the fruit way last finishing your sip. Exceptional. One of the outstanding Cabernet Francs from the east.
Tim Wueker works wonders with Cabernet Franc. And with it, the Outer Coastal Plain shines.