Category: Wines

More Hitmakers From Virginia

/ Warren / 1 Comment

I recently posted about Virginia wines earning solid scores from Wine Spectator magazine, and I can report that Wine Enthusiast has likewise given impressive scores to several Virginia red wines. Annefield Vineyards, Bogati Bodega Winery, Keswick Vineyards, Lovingston Winery, Potomac Point Vineyard and Winery, and Veramar Vineyard produced the wines that are featured in this month’s issue.

https://www.varesewedding.com/2z05ukmewa Potomac Point 2009 Richland Reserve Heritage Bordeaux-style Red Blend (Virginia)-Pungent dark char amidst firm black plum on this Virginia Bordeaux blend brings to mind flavors of smoked meats and strong black coffee. Full bodied and masculine in profile, it’s quite tannic, yet concentrated enough to handle it well. — A.I. (12/1/2011) — 86

Clonazepam Fast Delivery Usa 

Veramar 2009 Estate Club Merlot (Virginia)-Warm and spicy on the nose and palate, this Virginia Merlot boasts a sour cherry aroma combined with hints of gingersnap cookie and ripe bramble. Ample and rich with slightly stewed black fruit notes, the palate is bathed in waves of anise and cinnamon that linger on the finish. — A.I. (12/1/2011) — 86

https://www.fogliandpartners.com/rrp4agrcyx 

Veramar 2009 Estate Club Ameritage Red Blend (Virginia)-While soft and ripe on the nose and palate with loads of soft red fruit and hints of mocha and milk chocolate, this Virginia Ameritage doesn’t have a lot of structure, but its smooth, warm style is still eager to please. — A.I. (12/1/2011) — 86



Veramar 2008 Estate Club Cabernet Sauvignon (Virginia)-Ripe and rich on the nose with a harmonious black fruit and sweet vanilla bean aroma, this Virginia Cab is clean and pure with a remarkably pristine fruit profile. Bright and fresh with balanced acidity and a nicely concentrated midpalate. — A.I. (12/1/2011) — 86

Order Clonazepam With Fast Shipping 

Annefield Vineyards 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon (Virginia)-Aromas of espresso and burnt biscotti entice on this dark yet elegant Cab. On the palate, fresh violets linger amidst layers of ripe black fruit, smoke and char towards a stout, moderately tannic finish. Quite pleasant now, but could improve with 3–5 years of bottle aging. — A.I. (12/1/2011) — 87

https://www.infoturismiamoci.com/2025/03/6196b1ymu9n 

Bogati 2009 Collection I Bordeaux-style Red Blend (Virginia)-Sweet red cherry fruit melds with whiffs of graham cracker crumb and leather on this ripe, full bodied red from Bogati. There’s a thin vein of green that trails throughout, but the palate is nicely structured with a dose of warm pepper notes and mouthcoating tannins on the finish. — A.I. (12/1/2011) — 86

https://www.plantillaslago.com/fkzu0bbudte 

Lovingston 2008 Josie’s Knoll Estate Reserve Bordeaux-style Red Blend (Monticello)-Lush, ripe blueberries and plums meld into hints of dark chocolate and lavender on Lovingston Estate’s lovely Josie’s Knoll Estate Reserve. It seems a bit soft on entry, yet bright acidity and smooth, furry tannins give the black fruit palate substance and style. — A.I. (12/1/2011) — 89



https://www.onoranzefunebriurbino.com/s4115mc5 Keswick Vineyards 2009 Merlot (Monticello)-Hints of anise, black pepper and toasted coconut make this dark, smoky Merlot a bit exotic and unexpected. Full-bodied with a concentrated yet vibrant black fruit palate, it ends with flair on a rather tropical coconut finish. — A.I. (12/1/2011) — 87

https://ottawaphotographer.com/gw5r1f3fa 

Lovingston 2008 Josie’s Knoll Merlot (Monticello)-Intensely aromatic with notes of sweet pomegranate and fresh violets, Lovingston’s standard label Josie’s Knoll is soft and a tad sweet on entry with a ripe black cherry juice note. Hints of fresh herbs on the midpalate combine with grippy tannins on the finish, adding a dose of style and structure. — A.I. (12/1/2011) — 86

Do non-believers in Virginia wines ever challenge you to prove that the state makes great wines? Don’t suffer through the experience. Tell them to read some of the industry magazines, or even better, refer them to Virginia Wine Time. They just need to be educated on the matter.

Buy Ambien Canada Visit the outstanding wineries that are mentioned in this post, and be sure to mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Holiday Open House

/ Paul / 1 Comment

https://hazenfoundation.org/bgr226xv9j On Sunday we went to the Gray Ghost Holiday Open house. They hold this event annually and we try not to miss it. Each year they have a different holiday glass design. This year its a penguin. They also have a yearly cork contest. Al makes some holiday item out of corks and you need to guess how many corks it took to make the item. This year Al made a holiday mail box for letters to Santa. Warren and I guess every year but never win. We aren’t the best at guessing. At this time of the year the tank room is decorated for the holidays showing all the previous creations for the cork contest.

https://www.andrewlhicksjrfoundation.org/uncategorized/7dzt3g5 During the event we enjoyed some wonderful foods and all the delicious wines offered at Gray Ghost. I favored the Merlot this year and Warren decided his favorite of the day was the new Reserve Chardonnay. He has always been a big fan of the Reserve Chardonnay.

https://chemxtree.com/qt5bhfvbbr Here are some pictures from the Holiday Open House at Gray Ghost:




Friday Pours

/ Paul / Leave a comment

The holidays are such a busy time of year. On Friday evening we were able to sit down, relax and have dinner at home. We decided to have dinner at my house and decorate my Christmas tree.

https://yourartbeat.net/2025/03/11/va7ojgz8i5 We began the evening with the 2010 Pinot Gris from Pollak Vineyards. We had this with some sliced swiss cheese and water crackers. Right away on the nose we noted lemon-lime. On the palate we noted citrus as well. One thing we noticed was lacking was acidity. This pinot gris wasn’t nearly as crisp as we remember others being in the past. This made us wonder of this was a symptom of the 2010 growing season for whites. Have you noticed any 2010 Virginia whites lacking acidity?

For dinner we had ham steaks and scalloped potatoes. We selected the 2009 Cabernet Franc from Philip Carter Winery. We have enjoyed this one in the past and knew it would pair well with our meal. We noted violets, dried herbs, raspberry and cherry. We noted very similar characteristics in the mouth. The woodsy, herby, berry fruit really stood out. And yes, it paired well with our meal.

If you visit Pollak Vineyards or Philip Carter Winery anytime soon, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Holiday Pours

/ Warren / Leave a comment

https://municion.org/4z96law4 So with the Thanksgiving week behind us and another holiday season ahead of us, its time to think about wines to serve with seasonal menus. My parents were town last week to celebrate Thanksgiving; of course, we ate lots of food! What wines did I serve? Here is a list of my favorite wines from the week along with the meals that I served:

https://www.mdifitness.com/ut4p0imxps Mid-week supper: Beef stew paired with Barboursville 2007 Barbera Reserve

https://www.wefairplay.org/2025/03/11/gn7370e5idv Thanksgiving:

https://municion.org/ojj2m7lfk2 Appetizer: Cranberry cheese with baguette paired with 2011 Georges Duboeuf Beujolais Nouveau

https://chemxtree.com/qxsltgu0 Harvest Salad paired with 2010 Carrick Pinot Gris

Zolpidem Buy India Turkey with andouille cornbread dressing; cranberry relish, mashed potatoes, candied yams paired with 2007 Merry Edwards Pinot Noir

Mom’s Pecan Pie paired with Gray Ghost Adieu 2007

Tree Trimming Sunday:
Deli tray: Virginia ham, spicy Genoa salami, peppered prosciutto, cranberry cheese, mixed nuts
Wine: 2009 The Hague Cabernet Franc

Ambien American Express Dessert: Martha’s Pumpkin Bread served with Community brand Coffee and Chicory (found only in New Orleans)

So what wines did you serve on Turkey Day? Please share!

More Favorites in Charlottesville

/ Paul / 1 Comment

Buy Generic Zolpidem Now that the Thanksgiving holiday is over we can get back to our regular posting schedule. On the second day of our Charlottesville trip over the Veterans Day weekend we visited more wineries. Three of the wineries we visited were King Family Vineyards, Sugarleaf Vineyards, and Keswick Vineyards.

A beautiful crisp fall day greeted us as we began our tasting at King Family. As with other Virginia wineries, King Family is low on their white wines. Of course we enjoyed both the 2010 Viognier and the 2010 Chardonnay. The 2010 Viognier presented melon flavors with the addition of peach and apricot in the mouth. We also noted the full mouth feel of this wine. We thought we might be enjoying it later with the fall colors.

Of the reds we were split. Warren really enjoyed the 2009 Meritage and jotted down violets, cigars, sandalwood, and earthy elements. I really enjoyed the 2010 Cabernet Franc and wrote down earth, spice, and raspberry.

After our tasting we enjoyed a bottle of the 2010 Viognier with nibbles on the grounds at King Family. The fall colors were perfect. While enjoying our wine, winemaker Matthieu Finot joined us for some wine chat. We always enjoy chatting with Matthieu. Before leaving we promised Matthieu that we’d return when we had more time to talk and taste some barrel samples.

Next up is Sugarleaf Vineyards. We hadn’t visited Sugarleaf for a while and it was time to see what was new at Sugarleaf. Sugarleaf also only had two white wines to taste and of these we put our star next to the 2008 Chardonnay. We noted apple and vanilla and a nice crisp finish. Of the reds we really enjoyed the 2010 Petit Verdot. Here we noted plum and spice with some solid tannins. I thought of some red meat with this wine.

While we were tasting we were recognized by our tasting associate and she insisted that we head down to the barrel room to meet the new winemaker Romulus Pascall. He’s been with Sugarleaf for five years and studied under the previous winemaker Dan Neumeister. He allowed us to enjoy a barrel sample of the 2010 Cuvee Neubia. He was just about to move it into more aggressive barrels to import a more buttery/smooth finish. It was quite tannic and will need more time but you could see this is going to be a very nice wine when it is released in the future.

Our final stop of the day was Keswick Vineyards. Keswick is one of our favorites. We always have a good time chatting with Stephan and Kat. And Stephan always gives us a sneak peek of the wines still in the barrel. Unfortunately this time they were both at a wedding. We missed seeing them of course but still enjoyed the wines.

Like many other Virginia wineries Keswick is low on white wines. We only tasted the 2010 Chardonnay. We have already enjoyed this one and enjoyed it again on this visit. We noted pear, green apple, and butterscotch. Of the reds we actually put stars next to the 2010 Touriga and the 2009 Merlot. The 2010 Touriga presented notes of cherry, raspberry and smoke. I instantly enjoyed the fruit characteristics of this wine. The 2009 Merlot presented cherry, coffee, and an almost creamy vanilla finish. We were thinking of which wine to bring home for dinner and ultimately decided on the 2010 Touriga. Now I wished I had gotten a second bottle for the wine rack!

We enjoyed our time in Charlottesville. Revisiting old favorites is always fun. If you haven’t been to King Family Vineyards, Sugarleaf Vineyards, or Keswick Vineyards, you need to plan a trip to Charlottesville soon! And be sure to tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Finding Some Favorites

/ Paul / Leave a comment

https://www.andrewlhicksjrfoundation.org/uncategorized/to7eewlpd After our stop at Trump Winery on Veterans Day weekend, we visited two more of our Charlottesville favorites, Blenheim Vineyards and Jefferson Vineyards.

At Blenheim they only had five wines to taste because of great sales lately. Of those we tasted, we really enjoyed the 2010 Chardonnay and the 2010 Cabernet Franc. The 2010 Chardonnay presented notes of pear and melon and had a crisp, refreshing ending. This one is 38% Chardonnay that is aged for five months in French and Hungarian barrels. The 2010 Cabernet Franc had a candy fruit nose and presented notes of dry herb, toffee, and a pepper end.

Towards the end of our tasting, Kirsty Harmon joined in and told us how challenging the 2011 season was for Blenheim. The amount of rain they got at the end of the season made it a difficult harvest. However, Kirsty is confident they’ll have some nice wines when they are released later this year. Kirsty also gave us a sample of the yet to be released 2010 Petit Verdot. I love Petit Verdots and this one promises to be just as nice as the 2009. After our chat with Kirsty we enjoyed a glass of the 2010 Chardonnay on the balcony. The views were beautiful with the fall colors coming to an end.

After our stop at Blenheim, we headed over to Jefferson Vineyards. We hadn’t been there since the bloggers conference in July. Unfortunately Andy Reagan wasn’t there. However, Allison, who we met at the bloggers conference was and she conducted our tasting. We always enjoy the wines at Jefferson.

From the tasting menu our favorites were the 2010 Chardonnay Reserve 2010.This is Warren’s kind of chardonnay. It presents notes of pear, apple and honey with just enough of an oak presence to stand up to food. This one always makes us think of a creamy pasta dish. Our other favorite was the 2008 Meritage. We noted dark fruit, herbs, cassis, and a smooth ending. As with other vintages of Jefferson Meritages, we think of thick filets. What a nice compliment a big piece of meat.

After our tasting I enjoyed a glass of the 2010 Chardonnay and Warren enjoyed a glass of the Chardonnay Reserve 2010. The fall colors and crisp afternoon went very well with the wines.

https://www.salernoformazione.com/zx0f4ys On your next trip to Charlottesville be sure to plan a visit to Blenheim Vineyards and Jefferson Vineyards. And be sure to tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Virginia Wines in Wine Spectator!

/ Warren / Leave a comment

https://www.plantillaslago.com/o5hrlf3h I recently attended a wine maker’s dinner at a local restaurant, and the topic of Virginia wine came up. My table partner who brought up the topic was rather derisive about the notion that Virginia made quality wines and even scoffed at articles written by local wine experts who compared the best local wines to those of Bordeaux or Burgundy. Of course, yours truly chimed in that Virginia did indeed make some outstanding wines and suggested to my table mate that before dismissing local wines perhaps she should get out on the wine trails and try a few. I then mentioned that many Virginia wines earn medals at international wine competitions with several earning high scores in Wine Spectator magazine. And right on cue, this month’s edition rated wines from Lovingston Winery and Tarara Winery. Entries from both wineries rated in the 85-89 range, and a wine that earns a score in this range is described as “very good: a wine with special qualities.” Here are the wines and their scores:

https://ottawaphotographer.com/hmo3t61l Lovingston Merlot Monticello Josie’s Knoll 2010 – 87 points
Lovingston Cabernet Franc Monticello Josie’s Knoll 2010 – 86 points
Tarara Honah Lee Virginia 2010 – 86 points
Tarara Nevaeh White Virginia 2010 – 85 points

Buy Klonopin Without Prescription Congratulations to winemakers Riaan Rossouw and Jordan Harris of Lovingston Winery and Tarara Winery respectively for the diligent efforts both in the vineyards and the barrel room. And next time you come across a naysayer about Virginia wines, remind him/her that even internationally recognized and widely read wine magazines have taken notice of Virginia wines.

Buy Ambien Online From Usa Plan a visit to Lovingston Winery and Tarara Winery to sample these excellent wines, and mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you.

Trump Winery

/ Paul / 3 Comments

We spent Veterans Day weekend in Charlottesville visiting some of our old favorite wineries. We’ll be posting about those visits in the weeks to come. The first winery we visited on this trip was the new Trump Winery which is actually the old Kluge Winery.

There have been some changes made to the tasting room. They have painted the exterior of the building, added new bathrooms, and built terraces to enjoy your wines and the beautiful views. Besides the few changes, the tasting room basically remains the same. They have the same delicious gourmet cheese selections. And some of the staff is the same. We were happy to see a familiar face upon entering the tasting room. Tammy has conducted many of our tastings in the past so when we saw her, we knew we’d enjoy our visit.

We selected a table and heard from our personal wine steward about the different levels of tastings. We decided to go with the full flight and try all the wines since it had been awhile since we enjoyed Kluge wines. The vintages may have changed but the quality remains the same. And the price points have come down a bit from what we remember. Our wine steward presented us with the test tubes (yes, they are still using those) and a description of each wine. We opted for a cheese plate to compliment the wines. We took our time and tried all the wines and the cheeses.

Our favorites might be the same as they have been in the past. We enjoyed the 2008 Kluge Estate SP Blanc de Blanc. Here the bubbles never stopped and notes of pear, lemon, and grapefruit ended with a creamy mouth feel. We also enjoyed the 2007 Albemarle Simply Red. We noted blackberry and anise. It had a smooth finish and a deep ruby color. While I really enjoyed sipping this Bordeaux style blend, I couldn’t help but think about a big steak. The bigger, bolder 2009 Kluge Estate New World was also a favorite. We look forward to future visits to Trump Winery to sample the wines under the Trump label.


Before leaving we purchased some of our favorites and checked out all the Trump products sprinkled throughout the tasting room. If you haven’t visited Trump Winery / Kluge Winery since the changes, its time to plan a visit. And when you do, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Not So Fast

/ Warren / 2 Comments

Cheap Zolpidem Uk That is my response to those who are ready to dismiss the upcoming 2011 vintage. We hope to do a more comprehensive post on the 2011 harvest in the coming weeks; however, Boxwood Winery did offer a glimmer of the season’s potential. Executive Vice President Rachel Martin invited us out to the winery to sample some barrel samples of developing red wines from the 2011 harvest, and we were indeed quite impressed with what we tasted.

Readers may know that the 2011 grape growing season started with all of the potential of the heralded 2007 and 2010 seasons; however, Hurricane Irene ushered in weeks of rain throughout the state that gave vineyard managers and winemakers nightmares. Rain around harvest time is not usually appreciated in the vineyards, and this past September it came down in torrents. However, some areas of the state received more rain than others; lighter rainfall and diligent vineyard practices may have saved the grapes in many parts of Virginia.

This was clearly the case at Boxwood Vineyard. On a crisp, sunny fall day we visited Rachel Martin to sample some of the 2011 wines from the barrel. For their vineyard sites, September rainfall and little sunshine raised concerns of botrytis and sour rot; therefore, she opted for selective harvesting this season. Clusters that contained over 50% rot were not collected, and salvageable clusters were sorted berry by berry. “Painstaking” was the term used by Rachel to describe the process that consumed endless hours on harvest days. The result? Lower yields but clean fruit.

Rachel guided us to the barrel cave where we were treated to barrel samples from recently harvested 2011 grapes; in fact, the wines were at malolactic fermentation. The Merlot presented a deep hue in the glass to suggest good extraction with excellent fruit on the nose; likewise, the Cabernet Franc was clean with characteristic pepper notes. The Petit Verdot, though, was by far the star of the afternoon. Inky with concentrated plum flavors, it seems destined to shine in future releases. Nothing that we sampled suggested diluted colors or flavors, and we detected no vegetal notes to indicate lack of ripening.

Our time at Boxwood Winery concluded with samples of the upcoming 2010 releases now in tanks. The 2010 Topiary will be a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot; aromas of pepper and dried herbs dominated along with notes of raspberry and cherry to suggest an earthier blend. The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon will be not be blended; I noted characteristics of black fruit and tobacco with a pleasant whiff of violet. An addition to the Boxwood lineup will be the Trellis, a fruit forward table wine that blends Merlot and Malbec. This one should be prove to be popular as we both found it to be accessible and easy to drink either alone or with a meal.

So do not accept blanket dismissals of the 2011 harvest as fact for the entire state. We’ll do our best to keep readers posted. In the meantime, plan a visit to Boxwood Winery, and mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you!

2009 Petit Verdot from Gadino

/ Paul / 2 Comments

Many of you know that my favorite wine of the moment is petit verdot. Petit verdot is used all over the state as a blending grape. While many winemakers do an excellent job of using it as a blending grape, I think a stand alone petit verdot is the way to go. I’ve had several stand alone petit verdots from Virginia and I do think it will become a more prominent grape but until more wineries create a stand alone, I’ll continue to enjoy those that have seen the light.

Last spring Stephanie at Gadino Cellars gave us a barrel sample of the 2009 Petit Verdot. At that time we thought it was showing very well and anticipated its release. Last weekend we visited Gadino Cellars and Derek presented us with a preview bottle of the 2009 Petit Verdot. Oh how we love getting to taste wines ahead of their release. The 2009 Petit Verdot from Gadino Cellars will be released this weekend.

Last night for dinner we had lamb chops, roasted veggies, and red potatoes. What better wine to pair with this meal than the 2009 Petit Verdot. On the nose we noted dark plum, dark cherry, crushed dried herbs, and tobacco. In the mouth we noted similar characteristics of dark plum, dark cherry, and a creamy caramel finish. Warren detected a mocha component to this more complex wine. It paired beautifully with our meal.

Tasting this wine made me think about the 2008 reds. I wondered if I was enamored with 2008 reds or was I enamored with characteristics of 2009 reds. Such a dilemma. We decided we need to taste more 2009 reds. Either way, we completely enjoyed this 2009 Petit Verdot from Gadino Cellars. We suggest you get your bottle soon and enjoy this 2009 Petit Verdot. And you know, if we don’t like something, we don’t write about it. If you visit Gadino Cellars anytime soon, be sure to tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!