We had no intention of pairing these two, but that’s what happened this past weekend. Jenni McCloud of Chrysalis Vineyards agreed to let us interview her again for an upcoming article on Norton, and she was nice enough to even feed us breakfast! We were treated to pancakes and eggs from her own harem of hens, and executive chef for Chrysalis, Hump Astorga joined us too to discuss food and wine.

It was a very, very cold morning when we met Jenni at her house, and I gladly took her up on the offer for a cup of coffee. As we chatted about wine, Jenni whipped up pancakes, fried eggs graciously delivered by her own hens, and bacon. The focus of our conversation was Norton, its history, and its potential. We’ve been following the Norton Renaissance first pioneered by Dennis Horton and then taken to a whole new level by Jenni McCloud. Since the time that we started this blog, we have noted that winemakers in Virginia have taken notice of Norton; newer wineries like Green Springs gladly offer Norton. Jenni and Hump shed light as to why that may be the case.

In the course of our chat with Jenni and Hump, we discovered that Norton, unlike European varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, is resistant to the disease and fungus that is part and parcel of Virginia’s humid climate. Also, Norton, a hybrid of native grape varietals is fully adapted to Virginia’s sometimes wacky weather—late frosts, early springs, rain today, dry tomorrow, etc., Therefore, late freezes that may kill off a vineyard of European varietals most likely will never effect Norton. Also, with the current focus on “green”, Norton does not need to be sprayed with chemicals—it is the product of its environment and can defend itself without the help of “agri-chemicals”.

Our conversation continued to the dining table with its view of mountain-covered landscapes. We’ve already described Jenni as a true visionary, and she only confirmed that judgment as we munched on eggs and pancakes. In fact, Jenni shared with us that she recently poured Norton at a wine event in Sicily, and she remains steadfast in the conviction that Norton will put Virginia wines on the international map. (And no—we did not literally have pancakes with Norton wine!)

We did mention that our interview with Jenni and Hump were pursuant to an upcoming article–we’ll leave you all in suspense about the article and its details for a bit longer. However, after we wrapped up our interview with Jenni and Hump ( and breakfast, too—we were pleasantly stuffed!), we made our way to the tasting room. Our goal was to find a Norton that we would serve at an upcoming Norton tasting. I already have the 2003 Locksely Reserve on the wine rack; Paul has his favorite, Sarah’s Patio Red, but we both were interested in the newer 2006 Norton Barrel Select. This 100% Norton offering has earned Chrysalis accolades at wine competitions, and we understood why—dense, intense colors, jammy aromas and flavors that included dark berries and raisins, the 2006 Norton Barrel Select offered a fruit-forward presentation that demands to be appreciated now. Needless to say, a bottle of this one found its way home.

More to come about the outcome of our interview with Jenni McCloud and Hump Astorga. In the meantime, visit Chrysalis Vineyards and experience Jenni’s vision of quality winemaking for yourself—be sure that Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Well, not really—we visited Naked Mountain, and we did keep our clothes on. Winter time is lasagna time at Naked Mountain, but the opportunity to sample some nice wines is always available at Naked Mountain.

Our focus was a wine to enjoy with sausage lasagna, and we honed in on the reds. Of course, Naked Mountain is known for their Chardonnays, and we did both the 2003 and 2004 vintages at the tasting bar. Paul and I were split on favorites; Paul favored the toastier 2003 Chardonnay, but Warren preferred the crisper 2004. Both were quite good, though. However, we did have our minds made up to have a red wine to accompany lunch, and we found our match with the 2005 Raptor Red. This blend includes 47% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc, 4% Tannat, and 3% Petit Verdot. A dense garnet color best described its appearance in the glass; cherry and spice notes prevailed on the nose. Of course, it’s the mouth that makes the final decision, and we both noted dark cherry and plum flavors. “Medium bodied” and “fruit forward” finished our notes. We both gold-starred this one!

Our tasting finished with the 2006 Chardonnay/Riesling. I’m not a fan of sweeter wines, but I found myself liking this one. At 3% residual sugar, it is on the sweet side, but not cloyingly so. It possesses a floral/honeysuckle bouquet and a pleasant honeyed texture with pear flavors. In fact, I placed an “MT” next to this one, because I know that our friend and guest blogger would love this Chardonnay/Riesling. Quite nice to sip on its own, I’d serve this one as a dessert wine partnered with baked pears.

By the end of our tasting, we were definitely hungry, and we could scent of lasagna and garlic bread wafted from other tables in the tasting room. We selected a table near the glassed door that opens out to the deck so that we could view the mountains on the horizon and try to guess which species of birds were visiting the bird feeders. The lasagna was soon brought to our table, and it was absolutely delicious; the Raptor Red matched the red sauce, sausage, and herbs quite well. (For the vegetarians out there, they also offer a vegetarian lasagna.)

We enjoyed a winter’s afternoon lunch with wine, but before we know it, it was time to leave. We are sure to return to Naked Mountain to sample upcoming releases of their unoaked Chardonnay, oak-aged Chardonnay, and Cabernet Franc. In the meantime, we can think of no better way to spend a chilly afternoon than with lasagna and wine at Naked Mountain. Drink Naked, and be sure to mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you.

We recently visited friends who lived in the Northern Neck of Virginia, and we used the occasion to visit some wineries in the area. (Would we pass up the opportunity? Of course not !) In fact, our friends, Bob and Jackie joined us on the wine trail. They prepared a lovely picnic lunch to bring along, and we headed off to Ingleside Vineyards for our first stop. We’ve been to Ingleside on several occasions, and we were anxious to try newer releases. Bob and Jackie were also eager to sample Ingleside’s numerous offerings, and we were all on a quest to find a wine that would pair with lunch!

We sampled several selections from three tasting menus—the Premium Wines, the Chesapeake Wines, and the Black Label Wines. Each menu offered something for everybody. The Premium and Black Label wines might be featured at dinner parties or black tie affairs; the Chesapeake Wines lend themselves to picnics, sunsets on the balcony, or summer concerts. With four different palates at the tasting bar, sampling from all three menus proved to be interesting.

Jackie tended to favor drier white wines and dinner-friendly reds. For her, the premium Chardonnay and the Black Label Sangiovese topped the charts. Warren concurred with these ratings. The Sangiovese presented notes of violet and plum with subtle smoky aromas. Cherry/berry flavors with a rustic, earthy charm made this one irresistible. Herb-crusted beef tenderloins would simply moo with delight when paired with this Sangiovese. And what if seafood is on the menu? Jackie’s preferred Premium Chardonnay would be just fine. Done in the classic French style, the Premium Chardonnay has a gentle toasty finish that suggests an appropriate oak treatment..

Jackie’s husband, Bob, likes his wines on the sweeter side. Two Chesapeake Wines struck his fancy—the Blue Crab Blush and the Sweet Virginia Rose. Both wines are done in the rose style and possessed bright strawberry flavors; pinkish colors suggest a sweeter style appropriate for the picnic table, poolside, or dessert! One Chesapeake Wine that did earn unanimous approval was the Blue Crab Blanc. The Blue Crab Blanc is a blend of white wine grapes, and the final product is not as sweet as its pinkish siblings. In fact, this off-dry selection would be quite lovely as a partner to light fare such as salads topped with crabmeat.

So what about Paul’s favorites? Surprisingly, the Black Label Syrah finished ahead of the Merlot! Paul was enticed by the leathery/spicy aromas and was then hooked with its dry fruit and peppery flavors. Warren detected more black cherry on the palate, but each palate is different, and no one argued with Paul’s gold star selection.

After our tasting, lunch was calling us from the trunk of the car. Jackie and Bob prepared sandwiches that included chicken salad, cheese and pimento, salad. and ham/cheese. Paul brought along various cheeses and nuts. Now our task was to find the right wine, and we actually selected two wines from our tasting options. One wine, the Rosato di Sangiovese, satisfied the dry wine lovers; the other, the Blue Crab Blush, pleased the sweet wine lovers. (Of course, we did not finish both bottles of wines, and leftovers came home with us!) At a loss for a wine for to serve with baked ham for the holidays? Try either of these wines.

We enjoyed food, wine and conversation amidst fall colors and crisp breezes that made us forget about the global warming autumn that characterized most of October. We all purchased bottles of favorite Ingleside wines and we bid our farewells. For those who plan a trip to the Northern Neck, do stop by Ingleside Vineyards and tell the tasting room staff that Virginia Wine sent you!