When I started my journey with Cabernet Franc many many moons ago, it was actually examples from Ontario, from my own backyard, that were my first introduction to the grape. One of those “North Star” expressions of the variety came from the Laundry Vineyard and was made by one of Niagara’s most beloved winemakers, the late Paul Pender winemaker at Tawse Winery. It was one of those wines that always spoke to me, and it was really one of the first wines I tried where I began to think about Cabernet Franc as being be a mirror for “great terroir.”
Farmed by veteran grape grower Heather Laundry, the fruit from this exceptional site became part of the Southbrook Vineyards stable of red wines in 2018, and the winery released the 2020 vintage back in July. Heather has two key sites that she farms, one in the Vinemount Ridge VQA sub-appellation, which is the source of her Riesling and Gamay, and one in the Lincoln Lakeshore VQA sub-appellation, where her Cabernet Franc is planted.
Because of its shear size, the Lincoln Lakeshore VQA sub-appellation is probably one of the most difficult to summarize in the Niagara Peninsula as there can be a lot of variability across the region. The appellation stretches nearly 25km from east to west, following the shoreline of Lake Ontario to the north, and can range from 1.5km to as much as to 4.5km from north to south, with the Lake Iroquois Shore Bluff marking the southern border of the region. Generally speaking, conditions get cooler the closer you are to the lake and as you head further west across the region, and the growing season is slightly cooler overall but a little longer than some regions further inland. The region’s flat topography also means that it experiences very good sun exposure throughout the growing season.
Heather’s Cabernet Franc was planted between 1991 and 2000 with clone 214, and the vineyard is located more or less in the centre of the appellation and very close to the lake, less the 500m from the shoreline. This location would afford the vines a gentler, longer growing season that is neither too cool nor too warm, which is perhaps why the vines seems to perform very well regardless of the vintage conditions. In terms of soil, the majority of the site has about 15 to 40cm of Chinguacousey silt-loam over a clay-loam subsoil, with a thread of iron-rich, lacustrine sandy-loam running through the north block in particular. Finally, the site has been farmed organically for over a decade, and Heather is a proponent of minimal till farming and works with a mix of cover crops to help with soil health and balance.
In the cellar, winemaker Casey Hogan takes a very classical approach to the fermentation and aging, fermenting in a combination of one-ton bins and a larger 8-ton fermenter, avoiding aggressive extractive techniques and aging in neutral French oak for about 18 months. Casey also noted to me that this bottling is from the north block specifically, and is a barrel selection of the top barrels, with the balance making up part of the assemblage of the winery’s entry-level Triomphe Cabernet Franc.
In the glass, what strikes me first is the wine’s heady, lifted fragrance. A mix of fruit, herbals and florals leap out of the glass and hit high in my olfactory glands. Wild strawberry, plum and cherry mix with soft herbs like sage, tarragon, basil and a delicate mix of wild flowers. The wine leans more savoury, in keeping with previous bottlings I’ve had from this vineyard, with a wonderful purity of fruit and balance. The fruits on the palate are consistent with the nose but are punctuated by a plethora of spices. Likely a mix of varietal and oak spices, I pick up notes of white pepper, cinnamon, clove, allspice and nutmeg. This is a spicy Cab Franc and I love that.
From a warm vintage, the wine’s acidity remains elevated, fresh and balancing. The tannins are beautifully managed, plush and velvety. One of the things that really defines this wine for me is its balance. That’s a word that gets thrown around a lot, I know, but this wine is truly balanced. All of the aromatic and structural elements feel like they are exactly where they should be and as they should be. Harmonious. Some say that balance is one of the hallmarks of a great terroir, and this wine has it in spades. Medium-bodied, voluminous but restrained, supple yet structured, convivial but also serious. It’s a really complete wine, and bears a striking resemblance to warm vintage expressions I’ve had in the past from Tawse, even though the winemaker and approach to winemaking are different.
So, what makes this an exceptional site for Cabernet Franc? Well, to be honest, I’m not 100% sure. But what I know from my tastings of this wine from both Southbrook and Tawse is that there is a strong site signature that seems to come through in both warm and cool vintages. The fragrance, the savouriness and spice, the wine’s supple structure and balance. More research is required (no arm-twisting necessary though!), but I firmly believe Heather Laundry’s Lincoln Lakeshore vineyard is one the great sites for Cabernet Franc in Ontario. (Teaser… a more thorough look at Ontario’s top Cabernet Franc sites to come!)
If you happen to live in Ontario (or Canada), this wine would definitely be on my shopping list. It is drinking extremely well on release, but it certainly has the capacity to cellar for at least 10 years, and I think it is very well-priced for a cellar-worthy Ontario Cabernet Franc ($37.75CAD). And for those readers outside of Canada, Southbrook does dabble in the export markets and has a delicious range of whites and reds that are worth discovering, so you could always head to wine-searcher.com to see if some of their wines are available near you.
From the Archives
Last year, I did a video deep dive featuring Southbrook’s Saunders Family Vineyard Cabernet Franc, also from the 2020 vintage. It can be viewed on YouTube for those interested in learning more.