Last week I reviewed Schneider Vineyards 2005 Cabernet Franc Petit Verdot.  It was for Wine Blogging Wednesday and I kept it as close to the project as possible.  I did not go into a little of the background of Schneider Vineyard, I hope to share as much information about Schneider Vineyard as I can find here.

Schneider Vineyard is a small producer owned and operated by Bruce and Christiane Schneider.  They don’t have a tasting room, but their wines are rather tasty.  Their main focus is on Cabernet Franc, they are attempting to produce world-class, boutique style Cabernet Franc.  The Schneider’s began making wine on Long Island back in 1994.  You can find Schneider Vineyard wines in numerous hotels and restaurants across the island and in the city.  You can also find Schneider Vineyards in the “Tasting Room” out in Peconic on Peconic Lane.

This wine is their 2007 Cabernet Franc, “Le Breton”.  2007 is going to wind up being one of the best growing years on Long Island.  It was ideal for the fruit on the vines to set, grow, ripen and tasty.  There has not been a season like 2007, and who knows when you will see another like it. So when you see any red wine from long island, and it happens to be the 2007 vintage, you really cannot go wrong.  You will find various wines from various wineries with outstanding red wines.  This wine will be one of them.  

On the nose, there is a large amount of red berries.  I was picking up some raspberry and juicy cranberry.  There was a wonderful aroma of new leather.  I was also picking up some Tobacco, now when I say tobacco, I am not talking smoke.  I am talking about the smell of a humidor or the smell of a fresh rolled cigar.  I was getting the both of those aromas.  There was also this very cool earthy freshly turned dirt aroma.  It may not sound appealing to some, but it reminds me of the spring time.  I was also picking up the slightest aroma of fresh hay and straw.

The taste of this wine was even better.  At first it was on the spicy side.  It was overwhelming at first, but I knew that this wine needed some time in the glass to really open up on the palate.  I let it sit there for a while and eventually I came back and there were explosions in my mouth all over the place.

I was getting some Blackberries and raspberries with this subtle hint of boysenberries.  There was a menthol flavor that was moving in the direction of peppermint note.  There was a smoky element what was really cool.  I was also getting the slightest dusting of chipotle pepper powder.

The finish was long and spicy.  I was getting a minerality element that I could not put my finger on.

I re-tasted this wine the following day and another day later.  The fruit in this Cabernet Franc was really coming through and the other not fruit flavors were disappearing.

I really loved this wine.  I picked it up in my local wine shop for about $20.  And it was well worth it.  I would recommend you try this wine.  It is a great example of what Cabernet Franc is all about and how well it can be done here on Long Island.

I would pick this up again and I will be on the lookout for more wine from Schneider Vineyard…you should too.