Here are two Ontario Cabernet Franc wines from Flat Rock Cellars and Featherstone Estate Winery & Vineyard coming from the Niagara region. The two wineries are separate entities, but it worked out to have single bottles of their single varietal Cabernet Franc wines to be tasted and discussed together. Flat Rock Cellars is solely owned by Ed Madronich, while Featherstone Estate Winery is owned by Rayla and George Myhal. The two wineries are a mere 5-minute car ride from each other, and I assume have the same soil type in their vineyards.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Flat Rock Cellars Monolith Series Project No 17 Cabernet Franc 2023 (ON $TBD)
According to the winery, Flat Rock Cellars Monolith Series represents Innovation & Experimentation. According to the winery, “Since the beginning, innovation and experimentation has been at the heart of everything we do. Each vintage we experiment with all the tools and parameters at our disposal. In some cases, we choose to let the differing outcomes stand on their own and give our customers the chance to see, taste and learn alongside us. These ever-changing and constantly evolving projects drive our relentless pursuit of knowledge and winemaking excellence.” A mere 126 cases of this wine were made.
Appearance: It has a deeper, dull garnet colour. 95% solid almost to the rim.
Nose: Light, but dense aromas of dark fruit and a touch of oak. You get the same dense aromas after decanting, plus you can add some stoniness to it.
Palate: Dry, medium-plus body with a smooth, chalky, solid feel. Round and soft on the palate. Lower acidity and medium intensity fine-grained drying tannins. Dense, darker flavours of black fruit, with lesser amounts of red fruit and a touch of candied cherries. You get darker fruit flavours plus black plums and no red fruit or candied cherries after decanting. I also picked up a touch of coffee flavour on the palate.
Finish: Medium-plus length with medium drying tannins and a chalky finish. Dark fruit flavours with a touch of bitterness or dark chocolate on the palate. No change to the finish after decanting.
Rating: 
The Flat Rock Cellars Monolith Series Project No. 17 Cabernet Franc 2023 delivers a dense, dark-fruited experience with a smooth, chalky mouthfeel and fine-grained tannins. Black fruit dominates both nose and palate, with subtle oak, a hint of candied cherry, then coffee notes appearing after decanting. The wine finishes with dark chocolate bitterness and persistent chalky, drying tannins.
Featherstone Winery Cabernet Franc 2021 (ON $22.15++)
This is a vegan-friendly wine. It is interesting to notice the large limestone quarry right behind the winery. I wonder if it affects things such as drainage from rainfall as well as the underground aquifers, which would then impact the roots of the vines.
The wine is a blend of 95% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot. All American oak was used. The wine underwent full malolactic fermentation.
Appearance: A medium-plus to deep, dull garnet colour in the glass.
Nose: Medium intensity aromas of red fruits, plus touches of cinnamon, oak, and capsicum with air. You get sweet red fruit and cinnamon aromas after decanting, and no longer detect any capsicum.
Palate: Dryish, with a smooth, soft, light mouthfeel. Sweetish red fruit and red cherries, plus black plums flavours. A touch of oak, cinnamon, and leather as well. The wine becomes bigger and rounder with air, plus you get some buttery texture. The mouthfeel becomes a little bigger after decanting. You get the same fruit, spice, and oak flavours and buttery texture.
Finish: A medium-plus length finishing off-dry with red fruit, tart red cherries and a touch of pepperiness and cinnamon spice with air. Less tart red cherries and more sweet red fruit flavours after decanting.
A light bodied Cabernet Franc. It benefits from a short decant so that it can open up, giving you a rounder, fuller bodied wine.
Rating: after decanting. The Featherstone Winery Cabernet Franc 2021 offers a soft, elegant expression of the grape, with sweet red fruit, black plums, cinnamon, and a touch of oak and leather on the nose and palate. Its light mouthfeel grows rounder with air, developing a light, buttery texture. The finish lingers with red fruit and spice, becoming sweeter after decanting.
Differences
There definitely are significant differences between these wines. There are many factors to consider, including winemaker’s vinification methods and the growing seasons. The 2021 season was affected by the winter damage, leading to lower yields, while the 2023 grape harvest was generally considered a success, producing high yields and quality. I also will try to investigate if there are any soil differences between the two wineries, even though they are just a few km apart.
More info to come on upcoming articles when I compare all the Cab Franc wines I received, tasted, and reviewed.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
You can purchase the Featherstone Winery Cabernet Franc 2021 online from the Featherstone Winery website and at LCBO stores.
I was not able to find the Flat Rock Cellars Monolith Series Project No 17 Cabernet Franc 2023 on the Flat Rock Cellars website yet. You may want to watch for it for the next while.
Maybe with the interprovincial barriers coming down by Canada Day, some local agents will bring in these wines and other wines from Ontario.
