On Saturday, October 5th, over 60 volunteers joined our team to hand-pick another third of the vineyard, gathering about 14,000 lbs of Marquette, Frontenac Blanc, and Frontenac Gris.

With one-third of the vineyard still on the vine, we’ve surpassed our previous records. The final 18 rows of Frontenac Blanc will stay on the vine for a late harvest dessert wine for another couple of weeks. Read on to find out what styles of wine we are crafting from this most recent harvest.

Deep purple Marquette grapes, harvested at peak ripeness, known for their cold-hardy resilience and rich color, now fermenting to become our first estate red wine at Cellardoor Winery.

2024 Marquette Harvest leads to First Estate Red

This year marks the first time we’re making a traditional barrel aged red wine from our vineyard-grown Marquette. Developed by the University of Minnesota and introduced in 2006, this “Grandson” of Pinot Noir and a cousin to Frontenac is highly valued for its resistance to cold and grape diseases, making it ideal for cooler regions. Planted in 2008, these are the oldest vines on our estate.

We’ve previously used Marquette in our Methode Champenoise sparkling rosé wines (Bulles Rosé and Brut Nature Rosé), our Vin Doux Naturel dessert wine, and most recently in our 2023 Estate Rosé. With a perfect vintage to set the stage, we will now use it for an estate-grown red wine.

After harvest, the Marquette grapes fermented on the skins in stainless steel bins. We punched down the cap three times a day to extract color, flavors and tannins. When fermentation was complete, we pressed the grapes and transferred the wine to oak barrels. The wine came out black as ink—robust and reminiscent of an Italian red. It’s now undergoing malolactic fermentation (MLF) in the barrel room for the next couple of months.

Introducing our 2023 Estate Rosé: A vibrant blend of cold-hardy Marquette, Frontenac Blanc, Frontenac Gris, and L’Acadie Blanc grapes, crafted with delicate skin contact for a stunning pink hue and bright, refreshing flavors.

New Approach to Our Estate Rosé

We’re also excited to produce our second-ever estate rosé, made from a blend of all four varieties grown in our vineyard. For this vintage of rosé, we crushed the grapes and cold-soaked the juice on the skins for 40 hours to extract just the right amount of color from the pink-skinned Frontenac Gris and a bit of Marquette.

The rosé has finished fermenting and will undergo malolactic fermentation to soften its naturally high acidity. The color and flavors are stunning, and we’re eager to see how it compares to last year’s rosé. Stay tuned for the release of our inaugural 2023 Estate Rosé.

What’s Next?

With a third of our grapes still on the vine for a late harvest and our sparkling, red, and rosé wines in progress, this season is shaping up to be one for the books. We can’t wait to share the results with you soon!

Stay tuned for more updates. To be the first to know when our wines are ready, sign up for our newsletter or visit our tasting rooms in Lincolnville and Portland.

If you missed the excitement of this harvest, don’t worry—there’s more to come! To join us in the vineyard sign up to be a Harvest Volunteer below.