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Wine Recommendation
Longview Winery
2005 Cabernet Franc, Estate Bottled(Leelanau Peninsula)
Open only two months, Longview Winery is Michigan's newest. And Cabernet Franc is the red wine coming of age in the Leelanau Peninsula AVA.
The Longview version represents cool climate Cabernet Franc from the warmer 2005 vintage that dropped any hint of bell pepper, often associated with picking Franc before full flavor development. The wine showcases hints of smoke and spiciness, complementing a mélange of red fruits that comes across delicate, with balanced alcohol, acid and appropriate richness.
Hopefully, Longview will take the long view on crafting Cabernet Franc in the future because its initial efforts are meritorious. In fact, this wine won the Judges’ Special Award earlier this month at the 29th annual Michigan Wine & Spirits Competition. The Judges' Special Award, only granted in some years, is recognition of merit for a wine that judges believed was so close to achieving Best of Class that they wanted consumers to recognize it as a cut above.
Reviewed August 14, 2006 by Eleanor & Ray Heald.
The Wine
Winery: Longview Winery |
The Reviewer
Eleanor & Ray Heald
The Healds have been writing about wine since 1978 and have focused on appellation significance in many of their world beat writings. They value recognizing site personality (terroir) within an appellation's wines. They praise balance and elegance in wines styled to pair well with food and eschew over-extraction, high alcohol and heavy-handed oak. “Delicious” is their favorite descriptor for a great, well-made wine. |