Author: Warren and Paul

Heat Wave!

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https://inteligencialimite.org/2024/08/07/d2yvd8ml No, not the Motown hit by the Vandellas—the 100 degree weather that has us all wilting. These hot and humid days require wines that cool and refresh, and we found some wines at Barboursville that may just accomplish the task.

Warren’s summer picks:
Sauvignon Blanc 2010: crisp and citrusy with grassy notes
Viognier Reserve 2009: elegant with floral notes and fuller mouth feel
Phileo: Moscato and Gewürztraminer blend that should pair well with peach cobbler

Paul’s summer picks:
Chardonnay 2010: for stainless steel lovers like myself. Crisp and clean; serve well chilled.
Rose 2009: Strawberry Hills forever! Versatile for this time of year.

https://merangue.com/p0p752j2 Be on the lookout for future releases of Petit Verdot and Vermentino. Bill, our tasting associate told us that Luca created a 2008 Petit Verdot that will probably only be seen at the restaurant, Palladio. Luca also made a 2009 Petit Verdot that should be released later this year. In the meantime, visit Virginia wineries to find your own summer favorites. Be sure to mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you.

The First Lady Of Virginia’s FLITE Winery Tour

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https://polyploid.net/blog/?p=zr3firz6o0v Today we were privileged to join Virginia’s First Lady Maureen McDonnell on a tour and tasting of wines on the Monticello Trail. We were joined by forty other participants involved in promoting the Virginia wine industry, and these included familiar faces such as Frank Morgan of Drink What You Like and Patrick Evans Hylton editor of Virginia Wine Lover magazine. This memorable day began with a continental breakfast at the historic Old City Hall, and we then boarded a luxury bus destined for three Monticello wineries: Pollak Vineyards, Barboursville Vineyards, and Keswick Vineyards.

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https://nedediciones.com/uncategorized/f7k9udo We arrived at Pollak Vineyards amidst a flurry of media attention. Paul assumed that the television cameras were there to await his final word on Virginia wines; alas, they were there to greet First Lady Maureen McDonnell who has been a tireless and enthusiastic supporter of the Virginia wine industry. Winemaker Jake Busching was also on hand to greet us all, and we made our way to the tasting room. We were first treated to a tour of the barrel room complete with barrel samples of the stellar 2009 Cabernet Franc Reserve and the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon. The juicy Cabernet Franc has already won gold in a California competition, and we await its release.

https://aiohealthpro.com/d94i4occ8mj We were then guided through a tasting in the main tasting room with the First Lady herself helping with the process. We are big fans of Pollak’s wines, so picking our favorites proved to be a tough task; however, we did favor the intense 2010 Viognier. The 2010 white vintages are already creating a buzz in the tasting rooms, and this Viognier present a reason why this is the case. Vibrant apricot and peach characteristics prevailed and it presented a full mouth feel no doubt aided by spending some time in neutral French oak barrels. Of the red wines, we enjoyed the smoky 2008 Merlot with its bold cherry flavors. However it is no longer for sale. Summer sippers will also enjoy the crisp 2010 Pinot Gris.

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https://eloquentgushing.com/kl8i6ivy From Pollak Vineyards the entourage continued on to Barboursville Vineyards for lunch and wine at the heralded Palladio restaurant. Winemaker Luka Paschina guided us through the food and wine pairings, and what an exquisite experience! The salad course featured fresh greens tossed with morels and served atop asparagus spears; a sprinkle of grated pecorino completed the dish. Paired with this was the 2010 Sauvignon Blanc with it’s characteristic citrus, hay and mineral elements. The main dish was a lovely sweet pea risotto topped with seared rock fish, and this was partnered with the lush 2010 Viognier Reserve. Rich aromatics, exotic tropical fruit characters,and a creamy mouth feel best describe this perfect compliment to the equally rich risotto. A cheese course paired the decorated 2006 Octagon, the winery’s flagship Bordeaux-style blend, finished the menu.

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https://merangue.com/yu7ezx8i2 The afternoon’s event ended at Keswick Vineyards, and winemaker Stephen Bernard presented his platinum and gold medal winning wines beneath an outdoor canopy that allowed tasters to enjoy a glorious spring afternoon. Stephen is one of our favorite winemakers, and selecting a favorite was a tough decision. The 2010 Verdejo was crisp and clean and should prove popular during the upcoming summer months. I enjoyed the fuller-bodied 2009 Viognier Reserve done in the Condrieu style, and Stephen confirmed that this one will only taste better with time. The complex 2007 Heritage earned my star of approval for the red wines. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, the elements of dark fruit, tobacco and cedar begged for a heavy beef dish.

https://polyploid.net/blog/?p=chphpts1 As we sipped and savored through the afternoon, we learned that First Lady Maureen McDonnell has planted her own small vineyard at the Governor’s Mansion. Mrs. McDonnell opted to plant 15 second year vines in the Mansion’s garden. Why second year vines? The First Lady wishes to produce a wine to commemorate the Governor’s Mansion’s 200th anniversary; therefore, vines in their third year of growth would be necessary. Viticultural expert Lucie Morton provided input into the decision, so look forward to wines produced from the Governor’s garden!

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https://foster2forever.com/2024/08/vd4lk2u2.html The day ended too soon, and we thanked Annette Boyd, director of the Virginia wine board, for organizing the event and then inviting us to attend. Plan your own visit to these excellent wineries, and be sure to mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you.

Newbie North Gate Vineyard

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https://inteligencialimite.org/2024/08/07/qwid2y3lu Well the tasting room at North Gate Vineyard is new; however, tasters may know that winemakers Vicki and Mark Fedor have been involved in vineyard management and winemaking since 1997.  Their tasting room opened this month, and we received a grand tour of the tasting room which was built to LEED specifications and a tasting of their impressive wines.

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I will say that the interior design of the tasting room is a showcase for excellent taste.  Warm and earthy describe the color selections and furnishings.  I felt welcomed as soon as I walked through the door and did not want to leave once I settled in; all I needed was a good book and a glass of wine.  Speaking of wine, we did sample wine at the well-appointed tasting bar with a counter top that I would love to have in my own kitchen.  The counter top is a product made from epoxy resin and recycled glass and porcelain chips created by the company, EnviroGLAS.  Tasters are literally drinking atop broken glass chips some of which were once wine bottles!  Anyway, our tasting started with white wines and our unanimous favorite was the creamy 2009 Chardonnay which was aged for six months in older French oak barrels.  This one does undergo some malolactic fermentation, and this accounts for its creamy, buttery nose and mouth feel.  Classic pear, apple and honey elements abounded here.


 
Of the reds, we reached a split decision.  I preferred the complex 2008 meritage with its concentrated  fruit aromas and flavors of dark plum, blackberry and cherry.  Cabernet Franc heads the list of varietals used followed by Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Merlot.  This gold-medal winner ends with a silky, lengthier finish.  Paul gave the edge to the 2009 Cabernet Franc with its vibrant brambleberry nose and flavors; of course, sippers should expect a peppery edge to Cabernet Franc, and this one will not disappoint.  I also detected a hint of dried herb on the nose.  An interesting twist on the upcoming rock star in Virginia, Petit Verdot, was presented, too.  For the 2009 vintage Vicki and Mark experimented with a Petit Verdot that included a twist (10%) of Viognier.  This is not so unusual in France or Australia where the spicy Syrah/Shiraz may indeed be blended with the aromatic Viognier. The result here is interesting—with constant swirling, the dusty nose allowed for the floral elements of Viognier to emerge.  The tasting notes suggest an “intense” wine, and that may be true.  I think food may be this wine’s best friend, and I’d suggest leg of lamb (in time for spring) or game (if held until fall).


 
I do want to plug the 2009 Apple wine made from 100% Stayman apples.  Since our hard cider tasting, I’ve been more keen on these apple wines.  This one is tart and full of flavor that may serve as a dessert wine, but I’d also think about a sip with a ham croquette.

The North Gate facility has received a gold level LEED certification. This means they are certified green from the foundation to the roof. The building includes many elements from reclaimed wood, local stone and mantle, and tile floors. They have thought everything out from the planning to the construction to the tasting bar associates’ work area. On the roof are 96 solar panels that most of the time produce all the electricity that is needed to run the facility and at some points sends electricity back to the power company. The facility is truly state of the art green. We only see success for North Gate in the years to come. Plan a trip to North Gate soon and tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Bloggers Favorites for Virginia Wine Week

/ Warren and Paul / 3 Comments

Recently Allan from CellarBlog suggested we follow up our top 20 Virginia wine list with another list. To help celebrate Virginia Wine Week it was suggested we post our favorite wineries for different categories. After several emails a bunch of the wine bloggers came up with the following 10 categories. We selected the wineries that we thought best fit each category. This one might be helpful for those looking for a specific kind of winery. Here are our selections. Would you agree? Have different ideas? Share them in the comments.

1. Most Dog Friendly: Barrel Oak Winery
2. Most Family Friendly: Bluemont Vineyard
3. Best Winery to Take a Date: Potomac Point Winery
4. Best Winery to Hear Music: Notaviva Vineyards
5. Best Winery to Bump into Owner/Winemaker: Fabbioli Cellars
6. Best Winery for Someone New to Virginia Wine: Chrysalis Vineyards
7. Best Views: Delaplane Cellars
8. Best Place to Visit With a Big Group: Breaux Vineyards
9. Best je ne sais quoi/indefinable quality that makes it special: Linden Vineyards
10. Best Winery to Laze Away the Afternoon: Gray Ghost Vineyards

Top 20

/ Warren and Paul / 6 Comments

Recently Jordon Harris, winemaker at Tarara, left a comment on the Swirl, Sip, Snark blog suggesting some of us create a list of our top 20 Virginia wines. We all decided that was a great idea. So here are our top 20 lists. Both of our lists are in alphabetical order by winery and are not intended to rank any one wine over another on the lists.

https://foster2forever.com/2024/08/yv1n9ibmq.html Warren’s List:
Please note that these were my favorite Virginia wines that I tasted last year; however, they may have been released before 2010.

1. Afton Mountain Vineyards 2006 Sparkling Wine-a Thibaut-produced classic
2. Barboursville Vineyards Octagon 2004
3. Barboursville Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc Reserve
4. Breaux Vineyards 2002 Merlot Reserve-always a favorite and only gets better with age
5. Breaux Vineyards 2009 Water Bent Viognier
6. Chrysalis Vineyards2009 Albarino-stellar!
7. Chrysalis Vineyards 2005 Norton Locksley Reserve-do read the Todd Kliman’s Wild Vine
8. Delaplane Vineyards 2008 Honah Lee Viognier
9. Gray Ghost Vineyards 2008 Chardonnay Reserve-the crowd favorite at my parents’ 50 anniversary party
10. Gray Ghost Vineyards 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
11. Glen Manor Vineyards 2007 Sauvignon Blanc
12. Ingleside Vineyards 2005 Petit Verdot-the sleeper at the Drink Local conference.
13. King Family Vineyards 2007 Meritage-won Governor’s Cup; outstanding example from an outstanding year.
14. King Family Vineyards 2009 Crose-classic Rose that should be on every wine rack during the summer
15. Linden 2008 Boisseau Red-Wine Spectator liked this one!
16. Linden2006 Hardscrabble Chardonnay
17. Linden Avenius Sauvignon Blanc
18. Pollak Vineyards 2008 Petit Verdot
19. Rappahannock Cellars 2009 Viognier-another Wine Spectator favorite!
20. Villa Appalachia Vineyards Simpatico-Yum!! I wish this winery were not so far away!

https://oevenezolano.org/2024/08/u9gutd8dmz Paul’s List:
My list consists of wines that have stood out in my mind over the last few years. You will see several wineries with multiple entries and that’s because I think the consistent quality of their wines is exceptional. There are so many other wines I wanted to put on the list but had to limit it to 20.

1. Blenheim Vineyards 2008 Petit Verdot-2008 produced some wonderful fruit forward wines.
2. Breaux Vineyards 2002 Merlot Reserve-probably the best merlot I’ve ever had.
3. Breaux Vineyards 2009 Viognier Water Bend Barrels-from the cellar club selection
4. Chrysalis Vineyards 2009 Chardonnay-I love this crisp stainless style chardonnay
5. Corcoran Vineyards 2008 Malbec-Might be the best malbec in the state. I only have one bottle left!
6. Gray Ghost 2004 Adieu-wonderful dessert wine
7. Gray Ghost 2008 Merlot-smooth and big cherry
8. Gray Ghost 2009 Cabernet Franc-smooth and fruity, unlike so many others in Virginia
9. Horton Sparkling Viognier
10. Jefferson Vineyards 2007 Viognier
11. King Family Vineyards 2007 Meritage-Governor’s Cup winner!
12. King Family 2009 Crose-delightfully delicious rose
13. Kluge Estate VIneyard Blanc de Blanc-another nice sparkling
14. Kluge Estate Vineyard 2002 New World Red-loved this one…should have kept it on the rack longer.
15. Linden Vineyards 1999 Hardscrabble Chardonnay-OMG It’s a memory now.
16. Linden Vineyards 2006 Avenius Sauvignon Blanc-perfect minerality and citrus
17. Linden Vineyards 2007 Claret-a red that shows just how great 2007 was.
18. Pollak Vineyards 2008 Petit Verdot-another example of the fruit forward wines from 2008.
19. Pollak Vineyards 2009 Viognier-The crisp, fruity nature of this one made me fall in love with viogniers
20. Pollak Vineyards 2009 Chardonnay-my pick as a perfect example of chardonnay in Virginia

Virginia Sparklings Impress at Tasting

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Paul and I were invited to a tasting of sparkling wines which was held at Keswick Vineyards. Stephan Barnard and his wife Kat hosted the event, but the logistics (including the procurement of sparkling wines) were superbly handled by Frank Morgan of Drink What You Like and the Dynamic Duo who write Swirl Sip Snark. A number of palates were on hand to lend their opinions on which sparkling bubbled most brightly, and these included: Swirl Sip Snark, John Witherspoon of the Wine Cellar Wine Shop, John & Jean Haggarty of Haggarty On Wine, Stephen Barnard, winemaker at Keswick Vineyards, Joel Timmons of Virginia Wine Snob, Richard Leahy of Richard Leahy’s Wine Report, Frank Morgan of Drink What You Like, and Rick Collier & Nancy Bauer of Virginia Wine in Your Pocket.

So twelve sparklings were poured for our critical judgments, and all but two were from Virginia. The tasting was done blind. How did Virginia fare? Quite well. In fact, the two non-Virginia sparklings did not show well at all with the offering from France scoring at the bottom. The other, a bubbly bearing the Barefoot label, ranked #6. Without further ado, here are the rankings based on the panel’s decision:

1. Thibaut-Janisson FIZZ, $21
2. Prince Michel Sparkling Wine, $30
3. Afton Mountain Vineyards Tete’ de Cuvee, $30
4. Kluge SP Blanc de Blanc, $24 (tie)
4. Veritas Scintilla, $30 (tie)
6. Barefoot Brut Cuvee, $9.99
7. Thibaut-Janisson Blanc de Chardonnay, $30
8. King Family Brut, $30
9. Barboursville Brut, $18.99
10. Potomac Point Sparkling Wine, $0 (received as tasting sample)
11. Ingleside Vineyards Virginia Brut, $20
12. Chateau Gaillard Cuvee Charlette Voyant Touraine, $19

After tasting the wonderful sparkling we were able to taste several viogniers. We had three from Virginia and two from California. Stephen even shared a 2009 Viognier from the Keswick Signature series. We spent some time socializing and enjoying the wines. It was great getting to spend time with and getting to know our fellow Virginia wine writers. We would like to send out a huge Thank You to Frank Morgan, the folks at Swirl Sip Snark, Stephen Barnard and his wife Kat, and the Inn on Poplar Hill for providing the flutes. We appreciate all the help that went into creating a wonderful tasting afternoon!

Here are some pictures from the afternoon.

Please plan to sample these bubbling beauties at the Virginia wineries that produce them, and mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you.

Warm Wednesday Whites

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Man, is it hot! As we sweat through a record-breaking summer in which 95 degrees is considered cool, we decided to sample some summer sippers sent to us by Kluge estate Winery and Vineyard. The package included the 2009 Albemarle Sauvignon Blanc, the 2009 Albemarle Viognier, and the 2007 Kluge SP Rose. On this warm Wednesday, we tasted the Sauvignon Blanc and the Viognier; we’ll save the Rose for our “back to school” special review.

Our summer menus tend to be fairly light, and this afternoon we snacked on white cheese and crackers as we sipped a glass of the 2009 Albemarle Sauvignon Blanc. On the nose we noted lemongrass and melon with a refreshing minerality with similar attributes in the mouth. It was perfect on a hot day and paired well with our cheese and crackers.

As the sun began to set, Paul prepared a simple supper that consisted of herbed chicken with aromatic jasmine rice. Our wine pairing with this meal was the 2009 Albemarle Viognier. It offered the floral aromatics that reminded us of summertime honeysuckle blossoms, and we both observed flavors of mango and apricot. It finished with a very subtle toasty edge reminiscent of a Condrieu-style Viognier. As the sun began to set and temps lowered to a more comfortable 91 degrees, the 2009 Albemarle Viognier was the best way to end a hot summer’s day.

Stay tuned for our upcoming review of the SP Rose. In the meantime, plan to purchase some summer sippers from Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard. Be sure to mention,though, that Virginia Wine Time sent you.