Forge Cellars is the Finger Lakes project from Louis Barruol (of Saint Cosme in Gigondas) and Richard Rainey — an operation focused (with monastic intensity) on Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc. Léana Godard is their winemaker since 2018. She trained in France with Louis. The small, terroir-driven winery is located on the southeastern shore of Seneca Lake. The winery emphasizes minimal intervention techniques and sustainable farming highlighting the shale-rich soils and minerality of the region.
Rick Rainey's quartet of 2024 Cabernet Francs is exquisite. I mean absolutely impressive. Tasted together in one season, they are each like musical movements building gravitas, blended with whimsy and art.
The four are: Forge Willow Vineyards, Forge Railroad Vineyard, Forge Bellows, and Forge Caywood Vineyard. Each of these are small, boutique bottlings. Like Vivaldi's Four Seasons, these wines each start softly, and crash, and crescendo and lilt on in their own unique ways - but form an incredibly delicious statement of Cabernet Franc in New York State. It reminded me of my youthful days when I used to listen to music as I tried wines. Like in the old days, when one settled down with a new album and read the liner copy as the notes and melody began to waft through the room, then build.
The Four Seasons is a group of four violin concerti by Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi, each of which gives musical expression to a season of the year. These were composed around 1718–1723, when Vivaldi was the court chapel master in Mantua.
According to Wikipedia, The Four Seasons, "were a revolution in musical conception: Vivaldi represented flowing creeks, singing birds (of different species, each specifically characterized), a shepherd and his barking dog, buzzing flies, storms, drunken dancers, hunting parties from both the hunters' and the prey's point of view, frozen landscapes, and warm winter fires."
As to Vivaldi's importance? "Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread across Europe, giving origin to many imitators and admirers. He pioneered many developments in orchestration, violin technique and programmatic music."
The first of these I reviewed immediately from the New York Cab Franc Forward tasting in New York City (February). The link to that review of Willow Vineyards is at the bottom of this article. The other three I tasted in May, taking part in a Cabernet Franc Eastcoast tasting panel with Lenn Thompson of the Cork Report, Keith Beavers of Vinepair, Allison Slute of Cabernet Franc Chronicles, and Byron Elmendorf winemaker at Macari Vineyards.
According to Forge, "Railroad Vineyard sits on the east side of the lake at 720 feet, planted in the early '90s on dense, gravelly loam, the rows still delineated by the old Lehigh Valley Railroad ties." The wine was made using spontaneous fermentation with 20% whole clusters to keep a fresh fruit appeal. The wine was aged for 12 months in neutral puncheons 500L and 2 months of Stainless steel tank aging. The wine was bottled, unfined and unfiltered.
Forge Cellars Railroad Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2024 opens with a nice flurry of floral notes, before dissolving into a big dark sour cherry pie. The dark sour cherry continues on the palate, followed by dark cassis, and crunchy dark sour plum. This medium bodied red has plenty of acidity and plenty of tannins. A nice touch of minerality, with an ending of black tea and white pepper. The fruit seems to linger forever. An exceptional wine.
Bellows is meant to be the estate flagship for Forge's growing red program, and this is the first Bellows Cab Franc released. Bellows was made in the same fashion - spontaneous fermentation, 20% whole cluster, 12 months in. neutral puncheons 500L, 2 months in stainless steel tank, bottled - unfined, unfiltered.
This wine opened with a big stewed ref fruit statement - a compote of dark red cherry, dark red raspberry, with small dollops of plum and cranberry. As with other Forge Cab Francs, there's the lovely soft middle, with notes of minerality and vanilla. There's also a wonderful acidity which keeps the fruit fresh. Even after the light tea and white pepper tannin fades, the fruit remains, some how lighter and brighter than the first sips. Tremendous!
Forge maintained a special relationship with famed Finger Lakes grower, Matt Doyle, over the years. Rick felt that between them they had "struck a balance between retaining the wildness of Caywood while giving it the bit of refinement needed to uncover the brushstrokes of this rich site." For years, Forge produced Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from this historic location.
The original vineyard was begun in the early 1970s by Charles Fournier of Gold Seal fame. The Cabernet Franc vines were planted in the early 1990’s. The plot was named the Caywood Vineyard (not to be confused with the oldest, continuously working vineyard in the US, the Caywood Vineyard of the Hudson Valley, planted in the late-1800s by hybridizer Andrew Jackson Caywood, and still used by Benmarl today.) As a side note, in January 2026 Weis Vineyards bought the old Gold Seal site in the Finger Lakes and renamed it the Weis-Fournier Vineyard. Corresponding with Rainey, he intimated, that after conversations with Peter Weis, Forge would continue to work with the vineyard.
Forge Cabernet Franc Caywood 2024 was made in the same way as the other stable mates - almost exactly. The wine first starts with a lovely note of violet, cherries, raspberry, and cedar. There's an earthiness to it, minerality, a hint of wet slate and tobacco, and a soft middle, that finishes with chewy tannins of of Black Tea and Black Pepper. It finishes with ripe cherry that lingers long after the rest of the wine was swallowed. Exquisite!
Here's what I wrote about the Willow Vineyards bottling in February: Forge Cellars Cabernet Franc Willow Vineyard 2024 is a deeper, dark version of this varietal wine. The fruits are forward with dark cherry and raspberry, black currant, with notes of spice and a good grippy finish packed with black tea and white pepper. This was an exceptionally well structured wine, with layers of aroma, flavor, and texture. It was an absolutely fantastic wine. Fruit forward but austere. One of the best Cabernet Francs from the region.
It turned out that tasting the wines was somewhat like listening to Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. The Willow was spring. Whether a slice of the year, or a season in life, it was youthful, fun, but nonetheless impressive and well made. I would posit that the middle two could be argued to death, but absolutely represent summer and fall. Gun to head, I would say Bellows was the summer, with it's slightly brighter fruit finish. And that Railroad was my autumn. But I could be dissuaded and reverse them.
However, there is no question that Caywood represents to me Winter, with its brooding flavors and impressive strong hand. It reminds me of walking in the woods in the fall. It speaks of wood and earth, and a gravitas that feels right for the season, again, whether as a period in the calendar or late in life.
I have always been a fan of single vineyard designate bottlings. This quartet of wines have an immense and wonderful place in New York wine, and indeed, in Eastcoast wine as well. Possibly one of the most interesting lineups of 2026, and certainly as a group, one of the top Cabernet Francs of the year. Certainly among the year's most amazing high-notes in wine. An exquisite experience.
Congratulations to Rainey and Barruol. And special thanks for Rick for providing information and correspondence.
Read the entire Forge Willow Vineyards Cabernet Franc 2024 review: