The Story
Forge Cellars is the Finger Lakes project from Louis Barruol (of Saint Cosme in Gigondas), Justin Boyette, and Richard Rainey — a Seneca Lake operation focused with monastic intensity on Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc. Railroad Vineyard sits on the east side of the lake at 720 feet, planted in the early '90s on dense, gravelly loam, the rows still delineated by the old Lehigh Valley Railroad ties. The 2024 Cab Franc opens with floral lift, red raspberry, and tea-like herbal notes, then turns focused and mineral on the palate — precise blackcurrant and leaf, gentle extraction, beautiful tension. A medium-bodied, stony, cool-climate Cab Franc that argues for the Finger Lakes as one of the best Cab Franc terroirs in the country.
Description
Forge Cellars is the Finger Lakes project from Louis Barruol (of Saint Cosme in Gigondas), Justin Boyette, and Richard Rainey — a Seneca Lake operation focused with monastic intensity on Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc. Railroad Vineyard sits on the east side of the lake at 720 feet, planted in the early '90s on dense, gravelly loam, the rows still delineated by the old Lehigh Valley Railroad ties. The 2024 Cab Franc opens with floral lift, red raspberry, and tea-like herbal notes, then turns focused and mineral on the palate — precise blackcurrant and leaf, gentle extraction, beautiful tension. A medium-bodied, stony, cool-climate Cab Franc that argues for the Finger Lakes as one of the best Cab Franc terroirs in the country.
