Tag: Winery

New Visits On The Northern Neck

/ Warren / 2 Comments

Paul and I completed a four-day swing through the Northern Neck wine country (The Chesapeake Bay Wine Trail), and we managed to add four more wineries to the “visited” list. I’ll compile a list and brief review of each winery in this post.

The Hague Winery: This is a newer winery, and it offers a very solid lineup of wines. Steve Madey is the owner, and renowned winemaker Michael Shaps makes the wines at The Hague Winery. All five wines here were well-crafted and reflect an Old World style. For summer sipping, the Rose was an instant favorite. Done in the Provence style, this Rose is bone dry with strawberry and melon characteristics. Our gold-starred was the 2008 Cabernet Franc which is blended with 10% Merlot. Rich cherry nose with earthy characteristics were noted along with a lengthier finish. We also enjoyed the Cynthia Dessert made from Muscat grapes. Its heady floral nose and peach flavors finished clean in the mouth—quite lovely! We enjoyed our tasting at The Hague so much that we returned the next day with our friends, Bob and Jackie Worthy.

New Kent Winery: We finally made it out to New Kent Winery, and the facility is incredible. Golfers and equestrians should feel at home here as the New Kent facility includes a gold course and equestrian center. We left our golf clubs and riding boots at home, but we were eager to sample wines in the spacious tasting room. The vineyards here are eight years in age, and winemaker Tom Payette is producing some very nice pours. Paul’s favorite was the crisp and fruity 2008 Chardonnay which spends very little time in oak barrels. I appreciated the Burgundian-style 2008 Chardonnay Reserve with its creamy mouth feel; however, I was more intrigued with the White Merlot. Yes, it is a white wine made from Merlot! Needless to say, this is only possible if the grape juice has almost no contact with the red skins, and we detected only a hint of color when our glasses were held up to the light and closely inspected. The result is a Riesling-style wine with pineapple and citrus flavors. Three percent residual sugar enhances the fruit flavors without a cloying mouth-feel. Our Gold-starred red? We both agreed on the 2008 Meritage with its darker fruit and black pepper qualities; we noted a velvety finish, too.

Saude Creek Vineyards: These wines are currently being sold at a temporary facility until the tasting room is officially opened this fall. Owner Jason Knight was very kind enough to provide us with a tasting although the tasting room was closed when we arrived on Sunday. Jason works with partner James Batterson of James River Winery to produce some clean, well-crafted wines. The most interesting pour was the Saude Creek White made from summer apples, and it’s a crisp, clean wine with obvious apple notes and flavors. Sip during the summer or serve with an herb-crusted pork loin for an interesting pairing. A favorite summer wine should be the Chardonnay that is done in stainless steel and possesses pear and apple flavors with a nice acidity. Our favorite red wine was the Merlot. Aged 12 months in older American oak barrels, we noted cherry and plum flavors and approachable tannins. We’ll provide details of Saude Creek Vineyards’ official opening date as the fall approaches.

Williamsburg Winery: By far the largest producer/bottler of wine in Virginia! We started off here with the regular tasting which included a sample of six wines. My favorite white wine here was the Barrel-aged Seyval Blanc, and this is actually a blend of seyval blanc from stainless steel and oak barrels. I noted subtle smoke and hay notes with pear and citrus flavors, and it should pair well with shellfish. Paul preferred the blended James River White which may have reminded him of the California pour called Conundrum. Done in stainless steel, it is a blend of Seyval Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Traminette, and Vidal Blanc to present a fruity wine that is perfect to serve before dinner. Our preferred red? Though we tasted red wines in the course of our regular tasting, we opted to sample some of the reserve wines; here is where we found our gold-star red wine. We both favored the 2005 Merlot Reserve with its concentrated dark fruit flavors and tobacco/earthy aromas. A lengthy finish makes for a food-friendly wine that may include a mixed grill. Williamsburg Winery produces/bottles at least 65,000 cases of wine, so there is certain to be something here for every wine lover.

At this rate, we’ll be approaching 110 wineries visited! However, with new wineries opening every month, we may never visit all of them. We will certainly return to the wineries reviewed here, but readers may want to visit them sooner; however, remember to mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you.

Hume Vineyards’ Debut

/ Warren / Leave a comment

The Virginia wine industry seems to expand with every year, and now we can add Hume Vineyards to the list of newbies. Paul and I were invited by owner and winemaker Stephane Baldi and his wife, Andrea to visit their tasting room. We accepted the offer and visited Hume Vineyards on July 4. The grand opening is Saturday, July 10th.

It was a very hot afternoon on the day that we visited Hume Vineyards, and we were warmly greeted by Stephane who escorted us to the tasting room. We must admit here that the actual opening of Hume Vineyards will occur on July 10; so, the tasting room was still in the finishing stages. In fact, Stephane explained to us that materials from an old barn on the property were used to construct the rustic tasting room. Remnants from an old tin roof provided a half-covering for the walls and lent an antique charm to the space. Of course, our mission was to taste wine, and we were drawn to a simple tasting bar where the current offerings were lined up for sampling. Andrea joined us for the tour and tasting, and before long we were sipping away. In the process, we learned more about Stephane and his mission as a winemaker in Virginia.

Hume Vineyards offers four wines for tasting, and all were rather impressive. Vidal Blanc produces wines that are destined for enjoyment on a hot summer day, so we were not disappointed with the 2009 Vidal Blanc. My first impression was kiwi with a delicate floral aroma. Paul noted peach flavors, too, and the 1% residual sugar makes for a classic summer sipper without the cloying sweetness. However, summer is also grilling season, and the 2009 Chambourcin should pair well with any barbequed fare. Fruit-forward with a smoky nose with some anise to boot, I appreciated its plum flavors and peppery finish. Aging in neutral American oak barrels for six months provides structure, too.

Heavier reds finished our tasting. The 2008 Detour proved to be my favorite of the two bolder offerings. The tasting notes describe Detour as “tight”, and I could not agree more. Do not be afraid to swirl and swirl and swirl before sniffing and sipping. Dark fruits characteristics will emerge along with an earthiness to suggest an age-worthy, complex wine. I noticed some cedar notes, and we both noted chewier tannins. The 2008 Detour is the result of a blend which includes 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot. Drink now but decant first; I opt for aging. Anyway, Paul’s preference was for the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon. More accessible than the Detour, it displayed a dark cherry nose and flavors with smoky/leathery aromas. Five percent Cabernet Franc provides some spicy characteristics, too.

As we sipped and savored, we learned that Stephane is from France, and he was surrounded by vineyards and wines; therefore, he always had an interest in winemaking. In fact, he grew up drinking wines from the Loire valley. So why Virginia? Stephane explained that he wanted to be a part of something big, and for him that could only be Virginia which shares the Old World climates and challenges. His vineyards are still fairly new with plans to plant more vines which may include Grenache. Therefore, current wines were produced from grapes grown from local vineyards; however, the Chambourcin does include grapes grown on the Hume estate. The ultimate goal for Stephane is to produce all wines from estate grown fruit, and these will include Merlot, Viognier, and Petit Verdot. Stephane worked very closely with Dave Collins of Breaux Vineyards to produce the current lineup of quality wines. He also credits neighbor s Brian Roeder of Barrel Oak Vineyards and Philip Strother of Philip Carter Winery for providing advice and word-of-mouth marketing.

When they are not building a tasting room, tending vineyards and making wine, Stephane and Andrea work as researchers; therefore, they have an intense appreciation for the history of their property. The property and its facilities date back to the 1800s, and they have discovered the original deed to the property which was dated in 1862. They intend, then, to preserve the historic charm of the property while producing wines with an Old-World, Rhone-style appeal. With this mission in mind, it’s easy to see that Stephane and Andrea will succeed.

Make a plan to visit Hume Vineyards to celebrate the opening on July 10. Be sure to mention to Stephane and Andrea that Virginia Wine Time sent you.

Delaplane Cellars

/ Paul / Leave a comment

After our recent visit to Vintage Ridge and Three Fox, we stopped at Delaplane Cellars. We last visited them in January. We were ready to taste the new wines that had been released since that last visit. They now have eight wines to taste, including two new roses that we had not tasted before.

As usual we began with the whites. We started with the 2008 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay. Warren noted some toasted oak, along with some pear and apple. He enjoyed this one. We moved on to the 2007 Emerald Lake Viognier. This was my favorite white. We noted honeysuckle, a honey texture on the tongue, and a hint of peach. The 2007 Emerald Lake Viognier received our gold star for the whites. Between the whites and the reds was the first rose, the 2008 Rose. This is a dry rose. We experienced strawberry and a crisp feeling. This makes a nice summer sipper. We thought of Wolf Trap when tasting this one

The reds consisted of some we tasted before and a few new ones. We tasted the 2007 Old World Cabernet Franc, the 2007 Left Bank Bordeaux Blend, and we opted to taste the 2007 Shirland Syrah and the 2007 Springlot Reserve. We also tasted the second rose at the end of our tasting. Our gold star here goes to the 2007 Left Bank Bordeaux Blend. We noted this its like a meritage. We wrote down cherry, blackberries, mocha, and spice. This would go so well with a nice steak. We should add that the 2007 Shirland Syrah was new to us. We noted the earthy qualities with hints of dark berries. When you taste at Delaplane Cellars do opt to taste the two extra reds. It’s worth it.

After our tasting we each enjoyed a glass of the 2007 Left Bank Bordeaux Blend. With our wine we enjoyed some Piedmont cheese, sausage, and freshly baked bread. It was delicious! If you haven’t been to Delaplane Cellars recently, plan a trip soon and tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Return To Three Fox

/ Paul / 1 Comment

Last weekend after we visited Vintage Ridge, we decided to return to Three Fox Vineyards to taste the line up of wines on the tasting menu. We were sure there were some new ones we hadn’t tasted.

We were surprised and pleased to see Three Fox has added a sparking wine to their whites. We began with the T-J Blanc de Chardonnay. This is made by Claude Thibaut and Manuel Janisson. The bubbles went on and on.What a nice addition to the tasting menu. This one quickly garnered Warren’s gold star. My gold star went to the Leggero Chardonnay. The Leggero is a stainless steel chard that presents citrus notes, and a crisp finish. I think this one is a perfect summer sipper.

Most of the reds we tasted were new to us. One stand out was the Piemontese Nibbiolo with it’s spicy notes, and dark fruit flavors. And our gold star went to the Alouette Cabernet Franc. This is always a favorite when we visit. We noted hints of black cherry, chocolate, coffee, and some spice. We also noted they had very few bottles left.

After our tasting I enjoyed a glass of the Leggero Chardonnay and Warren sipped on a glass of the Alouette Cabernet France. While enjoying the wines we chatted with the owners Holli and John Todhunter. We found out they will be releasing a merlot and other reds in late August. We look forward to tasting that merlot. Plan a trip to Three Fox Vineyards soon and tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!