WTN: Dr. Konstantin Frank Pinot Noir 2005

Finger Lakes.

Medium cherry-red color in the glass.

Lightly spicy cherry fruit on the nose, earthy.

Medium-bodied, moderately creamy, tangy cherry fruit, spicy, earthy, smoky, good acidity.

The tanginess increased with time and a light bitter streak emerged.

Smoky and mouthwatering acidity on the finish.

My last bottle. Purchased at the winery this past summer during a NiagaraCOOL visit.

I have been a big supporter of Dr. Frank's PN over the years and have usually picked some up in the better vintages. Several weeks ago we were cycling around Keuka Lake and had to stop at Dr. Frank's for a tasting. Agree with your notes on the '05 - it is a good effort (as was the '05 Cab Franc). But the pricing is getting silly - I think they wanted $35 for this wine, which is a substantial increase over past vintages.

FWIW, the best PN tasted that weekend was (somewhat surprisingly) the Anthony Road Martini-Reinhart bottling. And the most appalling was the '05 Fox Run Reserve, which is now up to about $50....

Pertaining to the Frank: The price might be high but the distributor has run out of it. There is none to be had on the wholesaler level. I'm sure some retailers still have some but I just ran out. Looks like Finger Lakes is no longer "under the radar"

With that particular vintage I think the problem is due more to the lack of grapes (winter '04 damage + growing conditions) than the wild popularity. Production is supposed to be up for '07 with great quality, so we shall see.