Tag: 8 Chains North
8 Chains North
After a recent stop at Breaux Vineyards to pick up my cellar club selections, we decided to stop at 8 Chains North to check out the latest wines. We hadn’t been there in quite some time. We needed to see what Ben Renshaw had in bottle.
It’s nice to be remembered when we head to the tasting bar. Our tasting associate remembered conducting our tasting the last time we visited 8 Chains North. She began with the white wines of course. First up was the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc. This one quickly became our favorite white. We enjoyed the citrus, pear, and grapefruit notes as well as the well balanced acidity. We can see this one being part of our summer sippers.
Next we tasted the 2011 Pink Link. Now, this isn’t a rose or a blush. It’s made from merlot and is very light. It’s almost clear. We noted some strawberry on the nose. It’s crisp and dry and very light on the tongue. We then tasted the 2010 Loco Vino. This one has always been one of our favorites. We noted lemon and pear notes. It’s very lightly sweet. This will be another one on our summer sipper list.
The reds began with the 2009 Merlot. We noted smoke, dried herb, raspberry, and cherry. It was aged for 11 months in French and American oak. The 2009 Furnace Mountain Red was next. This is a true bordeaux blend. It’s a pretty big red with firm tannins. We thought of meat while tasting this one. The final red was the 2009 Furnace Mountain Red Reserve. Yet another big wine that could benefit from food. We noted chocolate, vanilla, and ripe black cherry. Just when we thought the reds were finished, we got a taste of the 2008 Furnace Mountain Red. As I was expecting, I enjoyed the fruity smooth nature of this wine. It reminded me slightly of the reserve version which is no longer for sale. However, our tasting associate gave Ben a call and I was able to secure a bottle of the 2008 Furnace Mountain Red Reserve! I felt so special! I really enjoyed this wine when it was released and wished I had more of it on my rack. Now I do! I’ll be holding on to this one awhile longer.
After our tasting we each enjoyed a glass. Warren had a glass of the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc and I enjoyed the 2009 Merlot. It’s always fun to see what Ben Renshaw has been working on and has in the bottle. We certainly enjoyed our time at 8 Chains North. If you haven’t been to 8 Chains North lately, consider planning a trip soon. And be sure to tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!
8 Chains North Visit
A few weekends ago we found ourselves on the Loudoun County wine trail. We decided to stop by 8 Chains North to see what had changed since our last visit and taste some wines. Upon entering the tasting room we noticed things had changed. They have added more tasting bars and rearranged the tasting room to accommodate more tasters. It was a nice change.
We started with the white wines. They currently have two whites. We started with the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc. This is a a Fume Blanc style sauvignon blank that is aged in neutral French oak for seven months. We noted citrus flavors and a nice round mouth feel. The other white wine was the LoCo Vino. This has been a favorite of ours in the past and we enjoyed it this time as well. We noticed a floral nose with citrus and melon notes. I jotted down lemon-lime twist and refreshing. The LoCo Vino received our gold star for the whites. It makes a perfect summer sipper.
We continued our tasting with the reds and began with the 2008 Merlot. This is actually a blend of 80% merlot, 10% malbec, 5% petit verdot, and 5% cab sauv. This is a solid merlot with decent tannins and fruit notes on the palate. Next up was the 2009 Otium Cellars Dornfelder. When we saw this one on the tasting sheet we were a little surprised. We only know of one other winery working with the Dornfelder grape. These grapes come from a vineyard in Purcellville. It’s 75% Dornfelder, 15% merlot, and 10% malbec. It has a dark, rich color with spicy notes on the tongue. Warren noted this one would go well with barbecue. The final red was the 2008 Furnace Mountain Red. We remembered tasting this one back in the fall during a Twitter tasting. It consists of 34% malbec, 30% cab sauv, 29% petit verdot, 5% cab franc, and 2% merlot. We noted cherry, blackberries, violets, some smoke and black pepper. This quickly became our favorite red and received our gold star for the reds.
After our tasting we enjoyed a glass of the LoCo Vino on the patio. It was a warm day so the refreshing, zesty LoCo Vino was the perfect selection. Before leaving we purchased a few bottles to add to our wine racks. Did you know that 8 Chains North is part of the new wine Tranquillity? It’s a collaboration by 8 Chains North, Tarara Winery, and Hiddencroft Vineyards. The wine will be released soon. We’ll be attending the release party this coming weekend. Look for our post about the event sometime next week. If you happen to stop by 8 Chains North be sure to tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!
Chatting With Winemakers
On Saturday we joined Frank from DrinkWhatYouLike to visit some winemakers in Loudoun County. We began the day at Tarara Winery. We had the chance to taste wine and chat with winemaker Jordan Harris. He let us taste several wines including some that are no longer available for sale and some that aren’t even for sale yet. Warren favored the no-longer-for-sale 2008 Viognier while I really enjoyed the yet-to-be-released Nevaeh White. After our time at the tasting bar, we went to the cave to taste a few barrel samples. Jordan has some amazing wines developing in the barrels. We look forward to seeing how they turn out. Here are some pictures from our visit with Jordan.
We then traveled to 8 Chains North and had the chance to speak with winemaker Ben Renshaw. He conducted our tasting and guided us through the current selections. Warren and I both favored the 2008 Furnace Mountain Red Reserve. Once we finished at the tasting bar Ben showed us to the barrel room and let us taste several wines in the making. All are promising. During our time in the barrel room we had a great discussion about screw caps and corks. We began this discussion with Jordan but continued with Ben. It’s interesting how many different opinions there are on the screw cap vs cork debate. After our time with Ben we had some lunch and enjoyed a glass of the Furnace Mountain Red Reserve.
Our final stop of the day was at North Gate Vineyard. This is our 112th Virginia winery. We spoke with Mark and Vicki Fedor. They showed us around their garage winery as well as the new winery and tasting room under construction. The new winery will be a green building and have solar panels on the roof. They have been growing grapes since 2001 and have been making wine for several years. They were the winemakers at Corcoran at one point. We then had a chance to talk and taste their current offerings. They have a nice lineup of wines. However, we were really impressed when the brought out the 2008 Petit Verdot. This one really stood out. Here are some pictures from our visit to North Gate.
We ended our day at Tuscarora Mill restaurant. We met up with Allan from Cellarblog. We enjoyed some Virginia wine and some wonderful food. What a great way to end Virginia Wine Month!
