I recently caught up with Matthew Spaccarelli briefly at the Cab Franc Forward event held at Neverstill Wine in Hudson, NY just the other day. I was so excited about several of the wines, I needed to write about this one as soon as possible.
Victor Spaccarelli Jr. is the owner. His son Matt oversees the winemaking team, and remains the vineyard manager.. With the completion of their new winemaking facility in 2025, Benmarl saw the addition of River Allen and Megan Lamb to the Benmarl production team. River seemingly leans on the technical side, enologist; Megan on the other hand is the winemaker. The titles are a little loose at Benmarl. But the winemaking is tight. They are producing great wines. This team has something.
So the other day, as I was walking through the tasting, I saw a Cabernet Franc White. I'd only seen one before from an east coast winery. Which I loved. So, I tasted the Benmarl Blanc de Franc Estate Block 3 2025 a 100% Cabernet Franc white wine made from red grapes. Now, before you blanche, this is not some white Zinfandel rip off. This is a quality wine, with incredible character and complexity. This wine had aromas flavors of cantaloupe, honeydew, white peach, and green apple, with hints of savory herbs, lemongrass, and wet slate, with terrific notes of lemon and lime. The nose is spectacular, and the finish is amazing - and long lasting. An exceptional white wine, with layers of flavors and great mouthfeel. An amazing wine.
Congrats to River and Megan. Go team Benmarl!