Holiday Wines at Rappahannock Cellars

/ Warren / 2 Comments

With the holidays now upon us, it’s time to think about wines that may pair with holiday fare. We can recommend some wines from Rappahannock Cellars.

Since our last tasting at Rappahannock Cellars, the winery earned top scores for wines reviewed in Wine Spectator magazine. With such accolades, we were eager to sample the latest pours at Rappahannock Cellars with a focus on winter and holiday menus. Of the white wines, two options stood out for me: the 2009 Viognier and the sweeter 2009 Noblesse Viognier. The 2009 Viognier presented floral and apricot aromas; apricot, peach and subtle spice describe the flavor profile. This Viognier is a blend of wine fermented both in stainless steel and French oak barrels to present a refreshing pour that should pair well with holiday turkey or roasted pork tenderloin served with a fruit chutney. The 2009 Noblesse Viognier is actually a blend that includes Vidal Blanc, Seyval blanc, and Chardonnay. Bright fruit and honey aromas with similar flavors in the mouth, it is slightly sweet yet enough to elevate the fruit characteristics. Baked ham should partner quite well with this one.

Of course, winter menus always include heavier meats, and my gold star favorite for this sort of match up was the 2008 Meritage. Dark fruit and earthy elements prevailed on the nose as I caught whiffs of tobacco and ash. Dark cherry, plum and blackberry greeted the palate and ended with a spicy edge. This should pair quite well with roasted beef and potatoes. If heavy cheeses, chocolates and/or cigars are on the menu, try the jammy 2007 Port Styled Dessert Wine made from the Norton grape, and be sure to enjoy next to a roaring fireplace.

We enjoyed our tasting at Rappahanock Cellars since all of the wines are quite solid and well-crafted, and an extra treat was the two glasses presented for tasting—one for the white wines; the other, for the red wines. We know that we will return to Rappahanock Cellars to sample the lastest award-wining wines; however, if you go there before we do, mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you.

New Finds At The Holiday Wine Mall

/ Paul / 3 Comments

On Sunday we went to the Holiday Wine Mall at the Dulles Expo Center. It was a great opportunity to taste many Virginia wines and pick up some gifts for all the special people on our holiday shopping list. We took the opportunity to taste wines from some of our favorite wineries, taste wines from a few new wineries, and of course chat about Virginia wine.

We tasted the wines offered by the newest additions Kilaurwen and Annefield Vineyards. Have you heard of either of these?

Kilaurwen is so new they don’t have a tasting room open yet. They plan to be open in April 2011. They are located in Stanardsville Virginia. Until the tasting room is open they will be pouring and selling their wines at festivals. We were able to taste their Rose, Fiesta White, Cabernet Franc, and their Fiesta Red. Of these I enjoyed the Cabernet franc with its raspberry and blackberry notes and hint of pepper. When Kilaurwen opens up next week, we’ll have to plan a trip to taste their wines again. They are working on creating a website so I don’t have a link to include.

Annefield Vineyards was the other newbie. Annefield is located in Saxe, Virginia. The tasting room is a renovated plantation house dating back to 1858. We had a great time chatting with owners Stephen Ballard and Michael Leary. They told us all about their property, vineyards, and tasting room all while we were tasting the wines. We had the chance to taste their Chardonnay, Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, the Annefield Red and the Annefield White. Michael Shaps is the winemaker for Annefield and has done an amazing job with these wines. I placed one gold star next to the Chardonnay which is light and crisp with hints of pear and lemon. I placed my other gold star next to the Cabernet Franc. I noted integrated tannins, spice, and pepper. I consider these the absolute stand out wines from the whole show. I only bought two bottles of wine from the event….the Chardonnay and the Cabernet Franc from Annefield Vineyards. If you get the chance to taste their wines, you simply must. And be sure to tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Holiday Open House

/ Paul / 3 Comments

On Saturday 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 train. Turns out, Al Kellert also made a train out of corks for the yearly cork contest.You have to guess how many corks it took to create the train. Warren and I guess every year but never win. We aren’t the best at guesstimation. At this time of the year the tank room is decorated for the holidays showing all the previous creations for the cork contest.

During the event we enjoyed some wonderful foods and all the delicious wines offered at Gray Ghost. I noticed the Victorian Red had changed slightly since the last time I tasted it. This time it had some big cranberry notes on the nose and in the mouth. It was a surprising change that I thoroughly enjoyed. Warren decided his favorite of the day was the Reserve Chardonnay. He has always been a big fan of the Reserve Chardonnay.

Here are some pictures from the Holiday Open House at Gray Ghost:

Dinner Wines

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Last night we had the 2008 Viognier from Horton Vineyards as our sipper. We had a very buttery brie with crackers. We notice its light straw color. On the nose we noted pear, citrus, and melon. In the mouth we picked up grapefruit and lemon zest as well as the characteristics we noted on the nose. We thought this was a very nice pairing with the cheese an crackers.

For dinner we had the 2008 Jen’s Jambalaya from Breaux Vineyards. We had ham steaks with green beans and mashed potatoes. The wine went well with our meal. We noted floral notes and mango on the nose and pineapple, melon, and peach in the mouth. We know this wine is a blend of whites but we’re just not sure which whites. Warren noted it was alsatian style with maybe vidal, traminette or gwurtztraminer. Either way, it was very nice. I was sad to see my last bottle go but it was the perfect pairing with our meal.

First Lady’s Luncheon

/ Paul / 2 Comments

Today we went to Richmond to attend the First Lady of Virginia’s luncheon. We were recognized by her FLITE program for our contribution to promote the Virginia wine industry. It was a very elegant affair. Governor McDonnell spoke and introduced former Governor Douglas Wilder. He gave a very inspiring speech about helping others. We were presented with a certificate by Maureen McDonnell herself. We are very honored to be included with so many Virginians working hard for the state of Virginia. Here are a few photos from the event.

You won’t see any Virginia wine at a luncheon. 🙂

Hard to see but the fist lady is speaking in this picture.

Tree Trimming Wines

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While decorating Warren’s tree last night with his parents, we decided to have to some nibbles and wine. Warren selected the 2009 Cabernet Franc from Gray Ghost and the 2009 Chardonnay from Chrysalis.

From the 2009 Cabernet Franc from Gray Ghost we noted a light garnet color, bramble berry and cherry on the nose, cherry and spice in the mouth, and a nice smooth finish. The 2009 Chardonnay from Chrysalis presented pear, apple and some cedar on the nose, was light and crisp with apple flavors in the mouth, and some creaminess at the end. Both paired well with light fair of cold cuts, white cheeses, baguette and crackers. The wines and nibbles were a great way to start the holiday season and made trimming Warren’s tree even more fun.

Sunset at Sunset Hills

/ Paul / 2 Comments

After we visited Breaux Vineyards last Sunday, we headed to Sunset Hills to taste the wines. This was the first time Warren’s parents have visited Sunset Hills. We were lucky to be visiting them on their two year anniversary weekend.

Sunset Hills currently only has two whites available for tasting. We were disappointed to find out so many of their wines were sold out. We were hoping to try the viognier but that just wasn’t to be. However, we did taste two chardonnays. Here are my impressions:

2009 Chardonnay-peach, fruity, round mouth feel, my kind of chard, easy to drink, patio sipper, this one gets my gold star.

2009 Reserve Chardonnay-oak, butter nose, Warren’s kind of chardonnay, more complex, Warren’s gold star.

After the two chardonnays, we moved on to the reds. There were four to taste. Here are my notes:

2008 Cabernet Franc-raspberry nose, pepper, paired with pepperoni and cheese, more of a pizza wine, this one got my gold star for the reds.

2008 Cabernet Franc Reserve-earthy nose, dark fruit, higher percentage of cab franc, 84%, more herbal notes, mocha, Warren’s gold star.

2008 Cabernet Sauvignon-herb on the nose, cherry, plum, cedar, black pepper, 9% cab franc, a little young, can lay down a few years.

2008 Petit Verdot – 25% cab sauv, chocolate nose, medium bodied (the tasting notes say this is a monster red), blueberry, cherry, earthy qualities.

After our tasting we selected the 2008 Cabernet Franc to have with some lunch items. We chose several items from the Lite Fare menu to have for lunch with the cab franc. Before leaving we saw this wonderful sunset. It certainly explains the name of the winery. How lucky we were to see it! Next time you find yourself visiting Sunset Hills, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Thanksgiving

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Happy Thanksgiving! Today Warren made the thanksgiving meal for me, my mom, and his parents. Everything was delicious of course and we had a wonderful time visiting with everyone. Normally we would post about what wines to serve for Thanksgiving. This time however, we’re posting after the fact and posting about the wines we did have for Thanksgiving. It was mostly a Gray Ghost Thanksgiving this year.

We began with a butternut squash soup and had the 2009 Gewurztraminer from Gray Ghost. After the soup Warren served a harvest salad with the 2008 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay from Fox Meadow. The main course consisted of turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cornbread dressing, cranberry sauces (both kinds), green beans, and cornbread. We had the 2009 Cabernet Franc from Gray Ghost. For desert we had Warren’s mother’s pecan pie and the 2009 Adieu from Gray Ghost. All the wines paired perfectly with the meal. What Virginia wines did you have for Thanksgiving?

Breaux Vineyards

/ Paul / 1 Comment

Warren’s parents are in town for Thanksgiving so we decided to take them to a few wineries in Loudoun County on Sunday. I also needed to pick up my Cellar Club selection at Breaux Vineyards so we stopped there first. We always have a great time at Breaux. Our favorite tasting associates Bruce and Silvia, were at the tasting bar and Bruce conducted our tasting. We also ran into our wine friends Susan and Stacy.

Since we visit Breaux on a regular basis there usually isn’t anything new for us to taste but this time there was a new cab franc and several barrel samples to try. After sampling all the regulars, we go to the 2006 Marquis De Lafayette. It was released about two months ago. It’s 100% Cabernet Franc and we noted dark plums, raspberry, pepper, and spice. It has a smooth ending as well. We thought this one would be perfect with turkey on Thanksgiving. While at the tasting bar we were also able to taste the 2009 Viognier. We really enjoyed the floral and honeysuckle notes on this one. There is so little left that it’s not even on the tasting menu. If you want a bottle you need to get to the tasting room soon. The 2009 Viognier received one of our gold stars!

After our regular tasting we moved on to the barrel samples. We were able to taste samples of the 2008 cab franc, the 2008 malbec, the 2008 syrah, the 2008 petit verdot, and the 2007 nebbiolo. We’re not sure if these barrels will be blended to make other wines or if they will become stand alone wines. It’s too early to tell. However, we did enjoy the 2008 cab franc. It’s really fruity right now with hints of jam and spice. We think this one will turn out to be really nice. We decided to award a good star to this one. We look forward to tasting it in the bottle.

After tasting all the wonderful wines and chatting it up with Bruce and Silvia and Susan and Stacy, Warren opted to enjoy a glass of the 2008 Barrel Select Chardonnay and his dad selected the 2004 Merlot to enjoy on the patio. If you stop at Breaux anytime soon, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!