Red Tail Ridge Winery 2010 Blaufrankisch ($23) is another wine that supports the case for Blaufrankisch in the Finger Lakes, even if it’s completely different from the one I reviewed yesterday.
Made from fruit grown just up the road in the Martini Family Vineyard (the Martini family owns Anthony Road Wine Company), this wine is a standout because of it’s purity and and freshness. The nose shows floral high notes backed by intense, distinct aromas of red cherries and just-crushed red raspberries.
Medium-light bodied and crunchy at the edges, the palate shows more of that clean red, brambly fruit and floral character — particularly on the second day open, when notes of and lavender, mustard seed and turmeric step forward. Black pepper — a characteristic tightly associated with the grape — is there, but always in the background.
If you can save some in the bottle to tray tomorrow or the next day, you’ll be rewarded with complexity that just isn’t there on day one.
Producer: Red Tail Ridge Winery
AVA: Finger Lakes
ABV: 12%
RS: 0%
pH: 3.41
Oak Program: 18 months in “older American” barrels
Production: 384 cases
Price: $23*
(4 out of 5, Outstanding and Delicious, Highly Recommended)