VIP Cocktails at Chrysalis

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Virginia Wine Time spent a memorable evening at Chrysalis Vineyards on December 9; we attended the VIP holiday cocktail party, and we were treated to gourmet foods and fine wines. We also met Jennifer McCloud, owner of Chrysalis Vineyards, and she offered to us a very warm greeting and best holiday wishes!

The event itself was held in the barrel room, and a harpist serenaded us with holiday songs. Of course, we are always hungry, and the array of fine foods prepared for the event was amazing! Chef Umberto Astorga presented gourmet fare that included game bird confit, lamb sausage, venison tenderloin, and vanilla cured tuna tartare. Wines poured that evening complimented the menu, and these included the 2005 Viognier, the rose-style Mariposa, the Rubiana, and the 2003 Lockseley Reserve Norton. Warren’s favorite was the 2003 Lockseley Reserve Norton; its intense cherry and raisin flavors along with its full body made it a natural pairing with the venison. Paul enjoyed the Mariposa and sipped this one with lighter cheeses and bread dipped in hummus.

During the course of the evening, we met other VIP members, and we all chatted about Virginia wines and Virginia wineries. At one point Jennifer McCloud offered a heart-felt toast to us all for being patrons of the winery and for attending the event. Time seemed to fly, and before we knew it, the evening had come to a close.

We said our goodbyes, handed out our blog cards, and purchased a few bottles of Chrysalis’ wine. Warren snatched a bottle of the lovely 2005 Albarino; Paul, the 2005 Viognier. We had a wonderful time and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with other wine enthusiasts. The benefits of VIP membership at Chrysalis were evident this evening, and we highly suggest that our readers consider joining the club. Of course, be sure to tell the gracious staff at Chrysalis that you read about them on the Virginia Wine Time blog.

Holiday Cheer at Gray Ghost

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It’s hard to believe that the holidays are upon us, but indeed they have arrived! Of course, food and wine are synonymous with holiday cheer, and lots of food, wine, and cheer were found at Gray Ghost Vineyards this past weekend.

With our holiday logo glasses in hand, we joined the holiday festivities in the Gray Ghost barrel room. We were treated to unlimited wine samples and all the food we could manage to eat. Special tasting for given of the Merlot, the Adieu, and the newly-released Reserve Chardonnay. Warren was eager to try the Reserve Chardonnay; in fact, he swiped Paul’s tasting ticket to enjoy a second glass. The Reserve Chardonnay is done in the California style without the heavy oak flavor; its honeyed texture and vanilla/nut finish make it a natural pairing with corn chowder, creamy pasta sauces, and crab cakes. Warren stocked up on the salmon and spinach dip while sipping this one. (In the meantime, Paul wondered what happened to his tasting ticket for the Reserve Chardonnay.)

As we enjoyed food and wine, we marveled at the decorations made from wine corks. Al Kellert, wine maker, creates Christmas trees, a fireplace, reindeer, and large holiday candles from wine corks, and these pieces are the source of Gray Ghost’s annual cork counting contest. Participants must guess how many corks were used to construct one of the chosen pieces, and this year it was the holiday candles. Paul attempted to be scientific about the matter and generated a very educated guess. Warren copied off of Paul’s answer and added a few corks for good measure!


We had a great time and even did some holiday shopping while we were at the winery. In fact, this was the second consecutive weekend we visited Gray Ghost,. The weekend before, we visited our friends from Woodland Winery, John and Megan Witherspoon. It was a bit warmer that weekend, and we were able to enjoy lunch and wine outdoors. However, with Santa on the way, the weather has turned colder here in Virginia, and we hope all of our readers are having a wonderful holiday season!

Cellar Tasting With Shari

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What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon then having a cellar tasting with Shari Avenius. That’s exactly what we did last Saturday. After a trail ride at Marriott Ranch we headed over to Linden Vineyards. Bedecked in our riding togs, we arrived at Linden Vineyards just in time to sign up for a cellar tasting. To our surprise, Shari Avenius conducted the tasting, and an added treat was the fact that we were the only ones who had signed up for the cellar tasting at that particular time. Shari’s wines have a cult following, and no wonder—her Sauvignon Blanc was the crowd pleaser at a tasting conducted by the Old Ebbitt Grill. The tasting featured Sauvignon Blancs from around the world, and Shari’s placed in the top three. During the course of the cellar tasting, Shari gave us an experiential tour of Linen wines, and in the process provided us with an education on terroir and its importance to the winemaking process. We also found Shari to be very friendly and our time with her seemed to fly!


The cellar tasting allowed us to compare wines from previous vintages. For review was the 1999 Chardonnay and the 2001 Chardonnay; the 1995 Linden Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2001 Glen Manor Red, and a late harvest Vidal Blanc dessert wine. All of these selections were outstanding. Warren favored the fuller-bodied 1999 Chardonnay and the bigger, rustic 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon; he found the 1995 Cabernet to be particularly special. This one had a deep garnet color with dense dark fruit and tobaccor flavors. Tannins were evident but pleasingly so; Warren thought of this one as a cigar wine, but a steak dinner would really moo for this bold red. Unfortunately, the 1995 Cabernet was from owner Jim Law’s own wine library and not for sale. Paul’s favorite was the 1999 Chardonnay with its apple/pear flavors and creamier texture.

We did hammer Shari with questions about her own special wines; in particular, we wanted to know what made her Sauvignon Blanc so superior. The answer, not surprisingly, was terrain. These vines grow in a rocky terrain that lends itself to producing classic Sauvignon Blanc. We also found out that Shari will release a red in the next month—we’d like to be the first in line to sample! Also, Shari will be visiting Alsace to tour vineyards there and to meet with winemakers from the area.


After our amazing cellar tasting with Shari we opted for a bottle of the medium-bodied 2004 Linden Red. We enjoyed it with venison sausage, Derby cheese, and a baguette. We enjoyed the beautiful fall views from the deck while eating our lunch and sipping the red wine.


We plan to return to Linden in the near future to taste and most likely purchase Shari’s new red. We are huge fans of her Sauvignon Blanc and are confident we’ll enjoy the red as well.

If you take a trip to Linden, be sure to tell them you read about them on the Virginia Wine Time blog.

Spooktacular Wines At La Grange

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We decided to pay a visit to La Grange Winery, and it happened to be on the weekend before Halloween. Associates dressed like witches, ghouls, and goblins greeted us, and the tasting room decor celebrated autumn and its spectacular colors. Lilia, our tasting associate, guided us through the nine wines being sampled that day, and amidst the Halloween atmosphere, we swirled and sipped away!


Notable white wines were the 2005 Fletcher’s Chardonnay and the 2005Viognier. The Chardonnay was Warren’s personal favorite; this Chardonnay was produced in the classic French style and fermented in French oak barrels. The result is a Chardonnay rich in apple flavors with a vanilla/nut finish. Paul favored the 2005 Viognier. Its golden straw color suggested crispness, and lemon/citrusy aromas invited the taster to sip! Grapefruit and orange characteristics prevailed in the mouth with a nice honeyed texture to boot. We decided to put a star next to this one to designate our lunch wine. (More on that later.)


Favorite reds included the 2005 Cabernet Franc and the 2004 Meritage. Of course, Cabernet Franc shines in Virginia, and La Grange provides reasons why this is the case. The La Grange Cabernet Franc is another classic with its herby, spicy characteristics. Red berries were noted, too. The complex 2004 Meritage is a lovely blend of the five Bordeaux varietals that would complement red meats and hearty cheeses. We were not able to sample the 2005 Snort, but this port-style wine is made from late harvest Petit Verdot.

We completed our tasting, and Lilia invited us to tour the facility. La Grange Winery is one of the newest wineries in Virginia; owner Chris Pearmund opened La Grange earlier in September after completing an extensive renovation of the historic La Grange manor house and its grounds. One would never have known that the manor house suffered through years of neglect. Our tour of the mansion revealed an incredible restoration of the three-level house with careful attention to historical details. Parlor rooms and their furnishings brought us back to 1790, the date the manor was built. However, we were growing hungrier by the second; so, we purchased a bottle of the 2005 Viognier and made our way to the grounds for a picnic.

So what was for lunch? We brought along Paul’s famous chicken strips; these he coated with herbs, spices and garlic then pan-fried in olive oil. (I think he’s been watching the Food Network!) The chicken strips paired quite nicely with the Viognier. We also enjoyed light cheeses on baguette slices. Of course, we were surrounded by magnificent views of autumn leaves, and the weather was cool and crisp. We also kept an eye on a ghoulish figure stalking the grounds; the Grim Reaper seemed to have haunted the house that day, but I’m sure he was there to enjoy the wines!

If you visit La Grange be sure to tell them you read about them on the Virginia Wine Time blog.

Halloween At Hillsborough

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Last year for Halloween we attended the annual Halloween Party at Hillsborough Vineyards. We had such a good time last year we decided to go again this year and invite Dezel and Niki. They agreed to meet us there for some fine wine and fun.

Hillsborough did an amazing job of decorating for the party and making the place look and sound spooky. Once inside they had lots of candy and nibbles to enjoy with some nice wines. They also had a DJ playing a good mix of music.


Before dinner we all shared a bottle of the lovely Garnet and the newly released Carnelian. We enjoy varies cheeses and crackers while watching other arrive with their often humorous costumes. For dinner we enjoyed a bottle of the Ruby Reserve with pork loin, green beans, acorn squash, and salad. It was all delicious!


After dinner the winners of the informal costume contest were announced and gifts of wine were passed out. At that point the dance floor was opened and everyone enjoyed a spin on the dance floor.


We had a great time at the Hillsborough Halloween Party and will probably attend again next year!

Cabernet Franc Tasting

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Last Saturday evening we were invited to Dezel and Niki’s house for a special Cabernet Franc tasting. Dezel writes the blog Virginia Vine Spot. John and Megan from the Anything Wine blog also attended and other friends of Dezel and Niki volunteered their palates for the tasting. We must mention that John and Megan have their own winery, Woodland Vineyards; their expertise was certainly appreciated at the tasting!

Dezel and Niki provided a very warm atmosphere for the event, and they served an array of Cabernet Franc-friendly foods. Warren made a dash for the Muenster, and Paul indulged himself with harder cheeses and cheese flavored crackers. Dezel poured eight Cabernet Francs, but he first provided us with tasting sheets that required us to rate the wines on a point system. As we acquainted ourselves with the rating sheets, we also acquainted ourselves with each other. Soon enough, the wine began to flow, and Dezel guided us through our tastings; we must add that this was a blind tasting, but we did have tasting notes with each Cabernet Franc sampled. Of the eight, two were from Virginia, two were from California; one Franc hailed from Washinton, and two others were produced from the Finger Lakes. A final treat was a Cabernet Franc from Chinon, France.


After several rounds of swirling, sniffing, sipping, and savoring, Dezel calculated the points to come up with the most recommended cabernet franc from the group. The winner was the 2005 Dom Semellerie Chinon Cabernet Franc. This was not a surprise. At little more than ten dollars a bottle, this one is a real steal. Lovely red fruits with some spice and hints of tobacco make the Dom Semellerie Chinon a classic Cabernet Franc. Second place had to be California, right? Think again. A close second was the 2002 Waterford Vineyards Cabernet Franc; this one proved to be the surprise crowd pleaser that seemed superior for the price.


We must admit that we enjoyed all of the Cabernet Francs poured that evening; however, since we worked with a rating scale, somebody had to come in last place. The two Cabernet Francs that scored lowest on the list were the 2000 Edgewood Cabernet Franc from Napa, California, and the 2004 Willowcroft Vineyards Cabernet Franc from Virginia. The former was deemed too “hot” for many on our panel, and the latter proved to be a bit lacking in fruit characteristics normally associated with Cabernet Franc. However, both pours found homes that evening as Dezel graciously allowed the panelists to take home their favorite wines.


While tasting each wine, the participants attempted to guess which winery produced the Cabernet Franc being tasted. Megan, Paul and Warren guessed correctly 50% of the time, and we were able to get first bids on the wines to bring home. Paul quickly grabbed the Waterford Cabernet Franc. On top of the wonderful wines poured that evening, Niki treated us to Turkish cuisine that included lamb and beef; the featured Cabernet Franc with our meal was the Michael Schaps Cabernet Franc from King Family Vineyards.

We had a wonderful experience and enjoyed spending time with such a great group of wine enthusiasts. We left with ideas for other tastings in the near future. Thank you Dezel and Niki!

Cardinal Point

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We left our readers in suspense at the end of the Barboursville article, and now we reveal the secret. Our next stop was to Cardinal Point Winery, and we were anxious to try the latest releases! Read on to discover more about our visit!

We had such a nice time there last time that a visit there had to be on the agenda for this weekend. Upon entering the tasting room, we scanned the room looking for Sarah Gorman. During our last visit, Sarah provided us with an informative tasting and provided a comprehensive history of the winery. We hoped to see her again; however, on that weekend, Sarah was representing Cardinal Point Winery at the Mount Vernon Wine Festival. Nonetheless, our surrogate tasting guide skillfully led us through each of the Cardinal Point wines. Of interest to us were the Quattro and the A6, and with the holidays coming up, seasonal fare would pare quite well with either of these two. Paul’s personal favorite was the Rockfish Red, and we enjoyed a glass of this light-bodied red with cheese and crackers out on the patio.


Warren at the tasting bar.

While on the patio enjoying our wine and cheese, we met Tad and Steven. They invited us to join them for another bottle of wine, and this time, indulged ourselves with the Quattro. This was a perfect accompaniment to light cheese, sausage, and crackers; the Quattro also proved to be a perfect wine to sip while meeting new friends.


Tad and Steven

We thoroughly enjoyed our second visit to Cardinal Point, and we await a third visit there sooner rather than later. In the meantime, we plan to enjoy Cardinal Point wines during the chilly months ahead! If you visit Cardinal Point, be sure to tell them you read about them on the Virginia Wine Time blog.