2023 Cabernet Franc

Red Newt has operated on the eastern side of Seneca Lake since 1989. Started by David and Debra Whiting, Red Newt divides its focus between food and wine, with an onsite restaurant known as “The Bistro” at their winery facility. Debra served as chef until her passing in 2011, setting off a locavore movement that focused on the great bounty of the Finger Lakes. David made the wines until 2014, at which point he shifted his focus to The Bistro and brought on Kelby James Russell, who has since departed to start Apollo’s Praise. Christina Zapel, an alum of Flowers Winery in Sonoma, now makes the wines. Red Newt owns no estate vineyards but sources from a variety of excellent sites around the region. Bordeaux varieties excel here, and some of the library wines dating back to the early 2010s are in excellent shape.