Dr. Konstantin Frank

That prior deviation to taste beer aside, one can't drive through the Finger Lakes (NY) region without at least trying some wine. In the hopes of finding something palatable (and dry), I decided to check out Dr. Frank's, located on a hillside on the southwestern shore of Lake Keuka. The elder Frank is widely held responsible for having introduced Vitis vinifera to the northeast US, eschewing hybrids and native varietals. This estate has been doing so for nearly 50 years now, and is rather considered one of foremost New York wineries.


A view south, towards Lake Keuka.


Fewer than a dozen wineries surround this lake.


I'd guess Dr. Frank's is also one of the larger wineries in the region, with multiple parcels around Lake Keuka, but also some on neigbouring Lake Seneca as well. As it transpires, for Riesling at least, Keuka is more successful for producing dry wines. Though my 'n' is relatively small and scattered over quite a few years, this could explain quite a bit. Having shied away from Finger Lakes Rieslings before, I wouldn't mind giving the Keuka region another look.


These vines were adjacent to the winery itself, though, sadly, the hostess couldn't tell me what vines these actually were. Still, it must be emphasized that Dr. Frank's is the first Finger Lakes winery that did not charge a tasting fee. Good on ya', Dr. Frank! I only tasted from the main lineup, not the "second", Salmon Run series, which I've understood to be generally higher on the residual sugar across the board.

2007 Pinot Gris - Almost pungently herbal nose, onion bulbs. Light and dry, solid minerality, wet stones and citrus. A bit short, but no worse than most PG.

2007 Chardonnay - barrel fermented, but the regimen, as for all the wines, was unknown to my hostess, who was new to a) the country, b) the winery, and c) wine in general. Not sure what's going on down in Australia, but really. This also had an herbal nose, not terribly dissimilar to the PG, was a little worried I'd not rinsed properly, but no, on the palate, it was quite different. Mainly, the oak, while not heavy-handed, was unbalanced. Early days though, I suppose, and it was certainly both dry and silky. Not a bad wine, but too winsome for my tastes at the moment.

2007 Rkatsiteli - this is an ancient, Georgian varietal - well, Dr. Frank was Ukrainian, so probably not too surprising to see this. But what is surprising is this wine - floral and herbal aromas suggesting some delicacy, but the wine is a bit bigger - medium bodied with good acidity for balance, interesting mineral character, talcum, a little cheese-funk, and also a bit of well-placed residual sugar. Tasty wine, on sale for $13. Very yummy at that price.

2008 Dry Riesling - flinty citrus nose, dry and sharp, lots of orange character, both pith and zest. This has earned the right to the moniker "Trocken" - why don't I come across Germans that do the same? What am I doing wrong? Here I learned that the same wine, when grown on Frank's parcels on Lake Seneca, are much sweeter. Lake Seneca in general, it seems.

2008 Gewürztraminer - the least tropical, most restrained example I've ever tasted, dry yet with good natural sweetness. Refreshing and balanced, really well done. $18... a bit ouch, but I suppose compared to the average prices in the region and state, it's probably fair.

2009 Reserve Gewürztraminer - this, on the other hand, is more the style we know, and which one typically either loves or hates. I'm a bit ambivalent about it, but the Mrs. likes the varietal from time to time. This one though brought some grassiness that turned me off. The regular octane for me, thanks.


Looking across the deck towards the smaller tasting room. Yes, tour buses come here too. It's inescapable, isn't it? On to the reds - I skipped the Merlot, the Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Meritage. Life's too short for continual disappointment. As it happens, the highlights had already taken place.

2007 Pinot Noir - light crystalline ruby, aromas of bright, brambly fruit, shows promise, but on the palate, it is simply lacking fruit. Or, it is so shut out by the tannins and the oak (not in the over-toasted, over-flavoured style, but in the "ouch I splintered my tongue" style) that it simply needs quite a bit of time to mend.

2007 Fleur de Pinot Noir - the self-described "Beaujolais" style of the house, darker in colour, more restrained in nose, but certainly more forward and less structured than the previous wine. Seemed a bit dull though, and there was a curious menthol aspect which was out of place.

2008 Cabernet Franc - wow, that's a lot of oak. Everywhere. The appropriate varietal characteristics do peek out from time to time, in different places, but there's just so much oak. I can't see why. Perhaps it's just very very youthful, but I'd like to see a neutral version of this.

2004 Chateau Frank Brut - ah well, it had to go pear-shaped eventually. They do follow méthode champenoise here, and it is a Champagne blend - PN/C/PM, with an appropriately yeasty/toasty/zesty nose, but for all the citrus and hazelnuts and good acidity, it's just not very dry at all.

2002 Chateau Frank Blanc de Noirs - this one drops the Chardonnay, and even allows some extended skin contact, giving this wine the palest shimmering hue of pinkishness, but this wine was even sweeter, but with the added effect of rotting fruit. Oy. I should have stopped with the whites.

Despite being a tale of two halves, I still left with renewed hope for the region, especially the whites. Dr. Frank has a few very tasty wines, definitely. And, something I will have to check out, a grüner veltliner is said to be released this fall (their website says that root stock for the varietal is available for purchase, but no wine is listed.) I'm very much hoping that the dry riesling and gewürztraminer are key indicators for its success. And hey, maybe, just maybe, they've chosen the wrong reds... Zweigelt, St. Laurent, and Blaufränkisch, where are you? To be fair, there are already a couple of other producers in the region who are doing the Lemberger bit (our friend Blaufränkisch, in "German").

But enough about wine... how about some sambos at Pudgies? Yes? Yes?