New Wines at Zephaniah

We last tasted some wines from Zephaniah Farm Vineyard during TasteCamp back in May. We learned then they would be releasing new wines early in the summer. Since we hadn’t actually visited the winery in such a long time, we decided to put them on our list during our recent visit to wineries in Loudoun County.

We enjoy entering tasting rooms like Zephaniah because we get recognized. They always remember us at Zephaniah when we walk in. They are also very knowledgable of their own wines as well as wine in general. We were pleased to see we hadn’t missed tasting the white wines when we looked at the tasting menu. Here are the wines we tasted and our tasting notes.

2011 Viognier – This beautifully crisp viognier is aged for seven months in neutral oak barrels and presents notes of peach, subtle citrus, lime and a nice mineral ending. This is one of the best representations of viognier in our state we’ve ever had.

2011 Rose – This rose is a blend of cabernet franc and chambourcin and is aged for six months in French oak. We noted cherry, strawberry cream, and a crisp ending. I also noted watermelon but Warren didn’t note watermelon from his taste. This rose would be perfect for an outdoor concert with picnic foods on the lawn.

2010 Adeline – This off-dry dessert wine presented orange peel on the nose and notes of almond and hazelnut on the palate.

2009 Cabernet Franc – This cabernet franc is aged in neutral French oak barrels for 16 months and is a Governor’s Cup 2012 silver medal winner. We noted smoke, cherry, blackberry, raspberry, and tobacco. This one quickly became my favorite red of the tasting.

2010 Chambourcin – This chambourcin was aged in Hungarian and neutral French oak barrels for 12 months. I usually don’t care for chambourcin but I did enjoy this one. It was smooth and fruity. We noted smoke, plum, currents, blackberry, spice and a hint of earth floor.

2010 Chambourcin Reserve – This one became Warren’s favorite red. He noted smoke/tobacco, dark fruit; plum, blueberry, raspberry, and moderate tannins. This is the food worthy chambourcin.

We always enjoy our time at Zephaniah. We chat about wine, education, and technology. And we get to taste some great wines. We learned the 2012 season was a good one for Zephaniah. In fact, on the day we visited, they had just finished harvesting viognier. We also learned they will be releasing two new reds this fall; Steamship Red and Mill Road Red. We will have to plan another trip soon to taste those! Before leaving I purchased a few bottles to enjoy at a later date. If you haven’t been to Zephaniah recently, you are due for a return trip. And tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Return To Dry Mill Vineyards

In an effort to visit many Loudoun County wineries that we haven’t visited in a long time, we found ourselves in Loudoun County last weekend tasting wines at Dry Mill Vineyards and Winery. It had been awhile since we visited and it was time to taste what was new on the menu. We were lucky enough to have owner and winemaker Dean Vanhuss conduct most of our tasting.

As is usually the case, we began with the white wines and continued on with the read wines. Here are my notes from our tasting:

2009 Barrel Chardonnay – Lemon, oak, tart ending
2010 Viognier – Floral nose, oak, but 25% stainless steel chard is blended in, citrus on the end
2008 Chambourcin – cranberry, fruity nose, smooth, cherry, earthy ending. Lighter than most Chambourcins we taste.
2008 Merlot – tobacco, lighter bodied, cigar box, cherry at the mid palate, smooth ending
2009 Petit Verdot – plum, smokey, moderate tannins, tartness, blueberry, tobacco
2009 Merlot – Opened by the owner – dark fruit, has a more concentrated feel, moderate to heavy tannins, blueberry
2009 Traminette – light, fruity nose, short finish, citrus, lime .5 to 1% RS
2010 Chambourcin Rose – 2% RS, plum, summer sipper on a warm afternoon

During our tasting we chatted with Dean about the 2012 growing season. He said 2012 has been a good year and has high hopes for a nice harvest. He doesn’t think the late summer rains will have much of an effect on the harvest like it did last year. 2012 should yield some nice wines.

After our tasting we both enjoyed a glass of the 2009 Merlot with cheese and bread. Before leaving we purchased a few of our favorites to add to our wine racks. The next time you visit Dry Mill Vineyards and Winery, be sure to tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

2011 Mandolin

We recently visited Doukenie Winery. While we enjoyed many of the wines on the tasting menu, we zeroed in on the 2011 Mandolin White Table Wine. We thought this one was a good representation of a summer sipper to enjoy one of these last days of summer.

Last Friday evening we enjoyed a bottle of the 2011 Mandolin on the balcony with hard cheeses and crackers while watching the sunset and enjoying one of our last days of summer. The 2011 Mandolin is a blend of traminette and vidal. We noted lemon, orange, and a slightly sweet ending. It paired perfecting with our cheese and crackers. If you visit Doukenie anytime soon, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

On another note, did you know we have another wine blog? We sometimes visit Maryland wineries. When we do, we write about them on our other blog, Maryland Wine Time. We recently visited Black Ankle Vineyards and wrote about it on the blog. Check it out!

Summer Sippers at Sunset

After our stop at Breaux Vineyards we headed over to Sunset Hills to continue our search for summer sippers. We hadn’t been to Sunset Hills for almost a year. Not only did we want to find some summer sippers but we also wanted to check out the full tasting menu.

We had no problem finding several summer sippers at Sunset Hills. We began with the 2011 Chardonnay. It was crisp and bright with hints of pear, apple, and a nice acidic finish. The 2011 Viognier is a lighter viognier this year. We noted a floral nose….orange blossom with a nice mouth feel and melon, apricot, and white flower notes. On the slightly sweeter side at 1.2% RS, the 2011 Sunset White would be perfect for a hot afternoon. We noted honey, tropical fruit, and a nice lingering mouth feel.

If Rose interests you, and it should, think about the 2011 Rose. We recently brought this one to Wolf Trap to enjoy during a concert. It’s 85% Cabernet Franc and 15% Merlot. It was all about the cherry and raspberry. It paired very nicely with our picnic fair at Wolf Trap. We finished our tasting with two reds: the 2011 Merlot and the 2010 Sunset Red. The merlot presented notes of cherry, blackberry, and plum. It’s medium bodied and would make a great sipper come this fall. The 2010 Red was a bit bigger and may need some more time on the rack. We noted tobacco, raspberry, and pepper with moderate tannins.

Before leaving we purchased a few of our favorites and promised we’d return sooner than later. If you stop at Sunset Hills anytime soon, tell Meredith we said hello and tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!