Last weekend we met some friends at The Winery at La Grange. We hadn’t been there in awhile and we wanted to show our friends what it’s like in Virginia wine country. Plus, it’s still Virginia Wine Month so we had to get to a Virginia winery. It was a cool, blustery, sunny day…perfect weather for wine tasting.
During our tasting we talked with our friends Dorothy and Laura about what we were smelling and tasting. They shared their impressions of each wine as well. We were all taking notes on what we thought we’d enjoy with our lunch. After our tasting we all decided the 2008 Fletcher’s Chardonnay was the winner. We enjoyed a bottle with cheeses, baguette, and prosciutto. From the wine we noted pear, apple, and a hint of vanilla. It paired beautifully with our lunch items.
After lunch we wandered around the grounds and toured the historic house. We took several pictures as well. We had a wonderful time sharing our wine tasting experience with our friends. Check out the fall fun at The Winery at La Grange. And tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!
Month: October 2011
The Hague Continues to Impress
A visit to The Hague Winery was on our itinerary during a recent trip to the Northern Neck of Virginia. We posted our favorable impressions of the Hague Winery last year, and we were curious to see if our return visit would confirm our initial impressions. In short, the answer is yes!
Owner Stephen Mady was on hand to conduct our tasting, and he guided us through our sampling of seven wines. Our favorite pour a year ago was the dry 2008 Rose, and the 2009 Rose was likewise dry but darker with strawberry and raspberry notes with a whiff of dried herbs. While I preferred the lighter-colored 2008, I did enjoy the 2009 bottling which was aged briefly in oak barrels.
Mady does seem to concentrate on red wines, and my favorite of the current offerings was the complex 2008 Meritage Reserve, a blend of all Bordeaux varieties except for Malbec. Brambleberry, sweet tobacco and cedar aromas were complemented by similar berry flavors with a spicy edge. This was quite an elegant wine. Paul’s favorite and my close second was the 2009 Cabernet Franc with its classic characteristics of raspberry, eucalyptus and pepper. We were able to sample the upcoming 2010 Petit Verdot. Paul is collecting quite a library of Petit Verdot from Virginia, and this bottling from what promises to be a stellar vintage was still very, very young. However, there was no mistaking the dense color; lots of swirling did release aromatics of dark plums, blackberry, and menthol. Tannins were still quite firm. Paul predicts that a year of aging will result in a stellar wine; I’d age this one even longer and serve with a hearty beef dish.
The Hague Winery does offer a white wine, the 2009 Chardonel. This is a crisp offering with nice pear notes. The 2009 Cynthia Dessert, though, is by far the most delightfully aromatic wine on the list. This sweet Muscat wine is rich in tropical fruit flavors, but it is the aromas of orange blossoms and peach skins that intoxicate!
Stephen Mady did confirm that Michael Shaps remains the winemaker for The Hague Winery. Production levels will remain small with a concentration on quality wines. Of course, Mady looks forward to the bottling and release of the 2010 wines as these promise to rival heralded 2007 vintage.
With our tasting done, we purchased several bottles of our favorite wines. With fall firmly underway, plan a weekend visit to the Northern Neck to enjoy fall colors. Along the way, sample the current releases at The Hague Winery. Please mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you.
Civil War Dinner and Virginia Wine
Continuing our celebration of Virginia Wine Month we attended an amazing dinner on Friday night. We went to the Gadsby’s Tavern Museum for a Civil War dinner paired with Gray Ghost wines. We were treated to a history lesson on the Civil War. We heard the part Gadsby’s Tavern and the Gray Ghost played in the Civil War. We were also treated to some delicious food and wonderful wines. Below is the menu and pictures from the evening.
We had a wonderful evening enjoying the history, the food and of course the wines. The 2010 Merlot was tasted for the first time and it was wonderful! Gretchen informed us that the Tavern offers Virginia wine all the time. Horton makes two wines with the Gadsby’s Tavern label. She kindly gave us a bottle of each to try. Thank you Gretchen!
Potomac Point
On our way home from the Northern Neck weekend, we stopped at Potomac Point Vineyard and Winery. It was almost exactly a year ago that we visited Potomac Point so it was time to catch up and check out what new wines were on the tasting menu.
There are three levels of tastings at Potomac Point. Since it had been a year, we selected the Premium level of tasting so that we could try all the wines. Not surprisingly, we were split on our favorite of the white wines. I preferred the stainless steel 2009 Chardonnay with it’s crisp notes of pear and mango. I thought it would be a perfect sipper on the balcony. Warren preferred the oaked 2009 Reserve Chardonnay. He noted vanilla melon. He thought this would be a nice white to accompany food.
The reds presented the same split decision. Warren preferred the 2008 Heritage. He noted cherry, dark fruit, mocha, and pepper. He thought this one would be perfect for fall meals. I preferred the 2008 Petit Verdot. I noted smoke, plum, cherry, and mocha. As most of you know from reading our blog, I am really enjoying the 2008 reds and petit verdot is my favorite varietal right now. This one lived up to my expectations.
After our tasting we decided to enjoy lunch in the courtyard. They have a full menu of foods and while Warren enjoyed a panini, I filled up on cheeses and bread. We selected the 2010 Abbinato to go with our lunch. We noted cherry, raspberry, and earthy notes. It has an intense purple hue. We enjoyed our time at Potomac Point and hope to return soon. If you find yourself at Potomac Point anytime soon, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!