Wine of the Week: Paumanok Vineyards 2022 Grand Vintage Cabernet Franc
April 24, 2025: A splurge-worthy, age-worthy cabernet franc worth chasing down when it is released later this year
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(Sorry for the double-send on the same content. For some reason, it published with the wrong subject/title yesterday)
I’ve been tasting a lot of terrific East Coast cabernet franc this month. It is, without a doubt, the grape that is happiest up and down the coast. There’s no other contender.
This Paumanok Vineyards 2022 Grand Vintage Cabernet Franc (to be released later this year) stopped me in my tracks for all the right reasons—not because it’s bludgeoned with oak or syrupy and over-extracted. In fact, it’s the opposite of that. Despite being ripe and concentrated, it retains the kind of freshness that real cabernet franc lovers demand.
The nose is intense and dense, taking a few days on the counter to really unwind with ripe layers of black and blue fruits, savory herbs, licorice, and a little black pepper spice.
Medium-bodied but full-flavored, the palate is a bit chewy with still-young, powdery tannins, but they frame ripe, concentrated flavors of blackberry, blueberry, and black cherry along with savory spice, herbs, and black licorice. It’s ripe but not jammy with that freshness bringing focus.
On the fourth day open on my counter, a pine-y resin-y note emerged that was really interesting. Closed under screwcap, this wine seems like it will continue to develop for decades.
Paumanok Vineyards 2022 Grand Vintagae Cabernet Franc
Region: North Fork of Long Island AVA (New York)
ABV: 13.5%
Rating: 94 pts
Price: $NA* ($65 for the 2021 vintage)
*Sample Provided by Winery