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.