On November 9, Cellardoor completed the final harvest of our Frontenac Blanc grapes for a much-anticipated late-harvest wine, crafted only when a season allows for perfect ripening.
Frontenac Blanc grapes hang in amber-gold clusters, shriveled and rich with concentrated sugars.
Braving brisk mid-40s temperatures and gusts up to 30 miles per hour, 42 dedicated volunteers—from as far north as Houlton, Maine—joined our team to gather another third of our vineyard, adding 2.5 tons and culminating in an impressive 2024 harvest total of 21.5 tons (43,000 lbs).
The Art of Making Late-Harvest Wines
Making a late-harvest wine requires precise conditions: warm, dry weather with an early bud break, minimal disease pressure, and optimal ripeness before leaf fall. This fall, the Frontenac Blanc reached a notable 32 Brix, giving it the rich sugar concentration essential for the honeyed notes unique to our dessert wines. For context, our 2020 harvest hit 27 Brix, while our 2018 Ice Wine reached a high of 33.6 Brix. With this year’s exceptional ripeness, we anticipate one of our best late-harvest vintages yet.
“What about noble rot? Don’t you need that?” While wines like Sauternes and German trockenbeerenauslese (try saying that 10 times fast!) are made from botrytis-affected grapes, our Frontenac Blanc grapes naturally shrivel and concentrate on the vine, bringing out those honeyed notes and rich sugars without the need for noble rot.
The History Behind Late-Harvest Wines
The tradition of late-harvest wines dates back to 1775, when Benedictine monks, delayed by a messenger, discovered that overripe, shriveled grapes produced a sweeter, more complex wine. Known as spätlese in Germany and Vendange Tardive in France, this approach inspired Cellardoor’s first vintage of Late Harvest in 2017. Each harvest, including this year’s, honors this storied winemaking heritage.
Our 2020 Late Harvest is decadent with the perfect balance of body, acidity, and sweetness, and mango on the finish.
Frontenac Blanc: A Unique Grape for Cellardoor Wines
Introduced in 2012, Frontenac Blanc is a white-fruited mutation of the original Frontenac vines and has been central to Cellardoor’s wine offerings since 2015, with over 1,000 vines in our vineyard. We use this grape for blending, and notably, as the star of our Late Harvest dessert wine. With high acidity balanced by concentrated sugars, Frontenac Blanc offers a refreshing sweetness without becoming cloying.
From a viticulture perspective, Frontenac Blanc is exceptional: clusters hang long into the season without falling off, and the grape’s natural resistance to mold makes it resilient in variable conditions. Its compact, well-spaced clusters are perfect for the shriveling process essential to late-harvest winemaking.
Award-Winning Quality
Our previous Late Harvest, grown in 2020, received acclaim at the 2023 San Francisco International Wine Competition. Judges praised its “medley of white peach, nectarine, and candied apple, enhanced with a touch of honey.” This award-winning vintage is available in our tasting rooms for $27 per bottle or $200 per case.
As we close the season with this final, sweet harvest, we reflect on the journey of winemaking—a process deeply rooted in tradition, dedication, and the ideal balance of nature and artistry.
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