2023 Rosé Cab Franc-Cab Sauv
Gold Medal - New York Wine Classic
Tasting Notes: The 2022 vintage saw us experimenting with a Cab Franc/Cab Sauv rosé blend and we repeated the trick in 2023. You can definitley taste the varietal characteristics here, with a strong herbal backbone beneath punchy and tart red fruit. A bold but still savory rosé, relying less on fruit and more on texture and minerality, and ready to grace any table with its versatility.
Serving Suggestion: Best served chilled from 42°- 46°F
Vineyard: 68% Sawmill Creek Vineyards, 32% Zugibe Vineyards
Blend: 56% Cabernet Franc - 44% Cabernet Sauvignon
Technical Information:
pH 3.51 RS 0.2%
TA 9.2 g/l ABV 12.5%
Cases Produced 377
Pinot Noir
'The Big Block'
Clone 777
Lansing gravel silt loam, 15% - 25% slope
Planted in 2005
Sawmill Creek Vineyards in Hector, NY is located along the southeast corner of Seneca Lake. Its steep-sided, southwest facing vineyards are widely recognized as among the best in the Finger Lakes. We thank the Hazlitt family for their dedication to sustainable farming and passion for wine growing.
Vinny Aliperti started his wine journey making wine as a teenager with his relatives, never considering it would one day become his profession. After graduating college with a liberal arts degree and a stint in the Peace Corps, an opportunity to pursue commercial winemaking on his native Long Island was presented and he never looked back. From 1997 through 1999, Vinny apprenticed under winemaker Roman Roth at Wolffer Estate, producing mostly Chardonnay and Merlot at its state-of -the -art facility.
In early 2000, Vinny moved his family to the Finger Lakes to work at the legendary Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard, where he was first exposed to Riesling production. In 2001, Vinny joined the startup Atwater Estate Vineyards, where he continues today heading up winemaking operations for over 15 varieties. Its 8000 case facility produces estate grown wines, including multiple Rieslings, Gewurztraminer, Blaufränkisch and Cabernet Franc.
With Atwater's blessing, Vinny and his wife, Kim, started their own label, Billsboro Winery, in Geneva, NY in 2007. Sourcing grapes from Sawmill Creek Vineyards on Seneca Lake, Billsboro specializes in producing small lots dry vinifera wines, including Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño, Syrah, and Pinot Noir.
