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82 WINES&VINES April 2015 GRAPEGROWING WINE EAST Lakso believes the largest challenge to growing Cabernet Franc in the Finger Lakes is reducing the vine's vigor. Much of the vine- yard soil in the region is composed of deep, rich silt loam, which works well for Riesling and Chardonnay but promotes very vigorous growth with Cabernet Franc. Such growth needs to be limited in order to reduce the development of methoxypyrazine (MP) com- pounds, which give a green character to the resulting wine. The compound develops after fruit set and before véraison, then decreases as the grapes ripen. A key element to limiting MP is stress to the vine, particularly regarding water supply. "The Cabernet family all tend to need some kind of stress to come out the best," Lakso said. Mid-season drought stress limits growth, and soils with a low water-retaining capacity are most suitable. He added, "They can be a silt soil, but because of glaciation we do have grav- elly spots, and the soil can dry out." In drier years, like 2010 and 2012, such sites produced excellent Cabernet Franc wines. He noted that soil type is not as important as its ability to limit water availability to the vine. Other than water stress, what can be done to reduce the vine's vigor? Cover crops can offer competition for both water and nutri- ents, but they are not particularly useful in wet years. Another approach is to offer in- ternal competition, allowing for more shoots per vine. Lakso likes to limit shoot growth to 4-5 feet with vertical shoot positioning (VSP). "We found that we need to leave around 18 shoots per pound of winter prun- ing weight—a balanced pruning." If the vines are too vigorous, fruit exposure for ripening is limited, thus requiring more trellising space than VSP allows. The canopies can be divided either vertically with the Scott Henry system, with shoots going up and down, or with the horizontal lyre system, using two parallel wires. Having more shoots results in the vine's need for more water. This can con- tribute to mid-season stress." What about clones and rootstocks—can they limit vigor? Studies have not yet shown clonal selection to be important, yet rootstock selection can possibly help. Couderc 3309 (3309C) is popular in the Finger Lakes, and 101-14 is used in deep silt loam conditions, as found at the Cornell vineyards in Geneva, N.Y. "From what I can tell, collaborating with peo- ple in different trials...Riparia Gloire is prob- ably the only one that seems to show a reasonable limitation in growth," Lakso said. He went on to say, however, that if one has too much vigorous growth, rootstocks are not the answer for control. The most important task, regardless of trel- lising and rootstock, is for Cabernet Franc to fully ripen. Leaf removal is very important and should be done soon after fruit set. As for crop management, Lakso has done a three-year trial, testing different levels of fruit production with VSP and the lyre system. VSP could produce up to 4 tons per acre without lowering the sugar content, while the lyre system was able to ripen up to 6 tons per acre to the desired sugar level. In contrast, Cheval Blanc averaged about 3 tons per acre. As for harvesting, the grapes need to hang as long as possible without disease pressures and berry degradation, and sugar levels of 21°-22° Brix are a good level in the Finger Lakes. Lakso noted that 2012 was an exception—some Cabernet Franc came in at 25°-26° Brix. Plant selection and vineyard practices for Cabernet Franc are dependent upon one thing: Can these grapes survive and thrive in the Finger Lakes? "Cabernet Franc is pretty close to Riesling for its winter hardiness. It really is the best of vinifera red varieties for our winters," Lakso said. The difficult winter of 2013-14 provided a good test—Cornell's vineyards reached -10°F twice and -12° once, resulting in 40%-60% bud loss in Cabernet Franc and 30%-40% loss in Riesling. While difficult, "It wasn't a disaster," Lakso said, adding, "Cabernet Franc gets through our winters quite well. But it's still a tender vari- ety, and we have to put it on very good sites here in the Finger Lakes." Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards, Hector N.Y. Hazlitt's vineyards are located on the eastern side of Seneca Lake and are managed by John Santos, who has worked at Hazlitt for more than 20 years. Their vines are planted in what is known as the "banana belt" of the region—so named for a greater accumulation of degree- days in the summer and more moderate tem- peratures in the winter. This did not hold true in the winter of 2004-05, however, when un- THE VIEW FROM CHEVAL BLANC Cornelis (Kees) van Leeuwen's October 2014 visit to the Finger Lakes corroborated Alan Lakso's information about stress and soils for Cabernet Franc. As the former vineyard manager and current consultant at Chateau Cheval Blanc in Bordeaux, France, van Leeu- wen was invited to make a presentation on growing and producing Cabernet Franc, during which he noted that the chateau's vineyards successfully utilized both gravelly and clay soils, which offered water stress at different times during the growing season. The soil needs to retain enough water early to grow the vine, and then later in the season it needs to be reduced or mostly eliminated to stress the vine. This will limit the vigor and help produce smaller berries and loose clusters, resulting in higher quality fruit. FINGER LAKES PRICES FOR CABERNET FRANC GRAPES Year Average price per ton % change over previous year 2012 $1,269 2013 $1,317 1% increase 2014 $1,338 1.6% increase CABERNET FRANC PRICES AT FINGER LAKES WINERIES Winery Wine Bottle price Fox Run Vineyards 2013 Cabernet Franc $19.99 2012 Reserve Cabernet Franc $44.99 2012 Cabernet Franc/Lemberger $19.99 2012 Lemberger $20.99 Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards Cabernet Franc 2012 $25.00 Hermann J. Wiemer Cabernet Franc 2012 $24.50 Cabernet Franc Magdalena Vineyard 2012 $32.00 Alan Lakso is involved in Cabernet Franc tasting trials.