Co-founded by David Whiting, Red Newt Cellars has been an eminent Finger Lakes wine producer since 1998. Located on Seneca Lake, they have produced stellar Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Gewurztraminer, and more. They have long been one of my favorite producers.
Recently, Christina Zapel joined Red Newt as Lead Winemaker. A Chicago native, she comes to Red Newt with more than a decade of winemaking experience in Sonoma County at wineries including Flowers Vineyards and Winery in Healdsburg, and Foley Sonoma in Geyserville. These are two of my favorites. Christina’s philosophy centers around minimal intervention in the cellar, with the goal of crafting wines that express a true sense of place. There are certainly high hopes for her here in the Finger Lakes.
So, I was tasting this spring in the Finger Lakes and luckily had the opportunity to taste the Red New Cellars Cabernet Franc 2023. While the 2024 was not far from release, then, the 2023 is the one that is in stores now. This wine was terrific. A wonderfully jammy fruit bomb. Medium bodied fruit forward red in the best sense. It was soft and approachable, with good acidity and good, soft tannins (think soft white pepper) and lots of cherry and red raspberry to boot. Easy drinking. A lovely wine.
Get it while it's still available in stores.