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Wine Details
Price:
Description:
Empire is the first New York state super-blend. This wine is 33% Merlot from Long Island, 33% Cabernet Franc from the Finger Lakes, and 33% Baco Noir from the Hudson Valley. Unfiltered, and un fined, the wines are blended, and then aged in three separate lots – French oak, American oak, and stainless steel. When the wine is almost 2 years old, they are belnded, and then bottled, and aged for another 4-6 months before release. The result is an incredibly complex wine, filled with multiple layers of cherry, cranberry, raspberry, cassis, vanilla, orange pekoe tea, and fallen leaves. Can drink now or in five-to-ten years. As written about as any of our wines, this wine has been appeared in Dowd on Drinks, New York Cork Report, Hudson Valley Table, Albany Union Times, Democrat Chronicle, Hudson Valley Wine Goddess, and many others.
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Varietal Definition
Merlot:
Merlot is known as a Noble Bordeaux varietal. Although it came to France in the first century, it was not named until the 1880s. Merlot was originally used only for blending, as it is soft and compliant, very useful in softening other Bordeaux wines like Cabernets. Recently in California and Chile it became popular as a 100% varietal wine. Merlot tends to be easier to grow in a variety of soil conditions and is harvested earlier in the year than Cabernet. Although most Merlots are made to be drunk earlier, there are many with complexities of a Cabernet. Flavors of plum, black cherry, violet, chocolate and orange pair well with rich, red pasta dishes, hearty chicken dishes, and any beef combination that you fancy. The perfect match of course is chocolate. Not only does the chocolate compliment the wine and vice-versa, but the essence of both flavors linger eternally.
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Cabernet Franc:
Cabernet Franc is an accessible, spicy, herbal, dark blue grape variety that is often compared to Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Franc tends to be softer and has less tannin than Cabernet Sauvignon, although the two can be difficult to distinguish. Sometimes the French refer to Cabernets, which could mean either of the two grapes. Its typical aromas include an herbaceous and pronounced peppery nose, even in ripe fruit, and something eerily like tobacco. The Cabernet Franc ripens at an earlier stage, which gives it reason to exist in the Bordeaux area. In the Loire, where we find it a lot, it gives a clear red fresh and fruity wine.
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Baco Noir:
BA french-american hybrid grape used to make an intense red wine regarded by some as a good substitute for Cabernet Sauvignon . Capable of aging, its origins trace to the Folle Blanche and a native American strain of grape. Extensively grown in the cool northern regions of N. America.
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