Last Sunday Warren and I headed to Loudoun County for a day of horseback riding and wine tasting. We began the day at Providence Farm for a trail ride. There was still snow on the ground and fall colors in the trees. Besides the beautiful views, we saw deer, all kinds of birds, and other wild life. After our memorable trail ride, we headed to Breaux Vineyards for some wine tasting. We were also there to pick up my latest Cellar Club selections.
The snow on the ground with the fall colors on the trees made for some beautiful pictures at Breaux!
One of our favorite tasting associates Silvia conducted our tasting. We always enjoy chatting about wine with Silvia when we visit Breaux Vineyards. We’ve tasted all the wines on the regular tasting menu several times but enjoy seeing how they are evolving in the bottle. The 2010 Viognier is really evolving. We tasted it for the first time at the Wine Bloggers Conference back in July. We then tasted it again in September. This time we noticed honeysuckle really standing out. It’s a complex wine that will continue to delight our palates. The non-vintage Equation is also evolving nicely in the bottle. Each time we taste it something different arrives on our tongues. This time the plum and berry flavors really stood out. This one is a great sipper and would go well with pizza or burgers.
During our tasting we were able to chat with Jen Breaux and taste some of the Cellar Club selections. We were able to taste the 2010 Lot 10-08. This is a blend of Chardonnay and Seyval Blanc. Its light and crisp and presents citrus and stone fruit notes. It had a tart finish with a hint of merinality. I decided this one would make a great sipper for the beginning of a dinner party. I brought home two bottles for that exact reason. The 2008 Six Degrees is a blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera. Warren noted violet, plum, blackberry, dried fruit, and tobacco. He thinks it would pair well with prime rib. Yum!
After our tasting we enjoyed some of the 2010 Lot 10-08 with cheese and baguette slices. Jen treated us to a glass of the 2001 Nebbiolo! Thanks Jen! The 2001 Nebbiolo is a stand out wine. It is developing beautifully in the bottle. Its light and smooth and is effortless to enjoy. If you ever get the chance to try this one, you simply must. We had a great afternoon at Breaux enjoying the wines and running into our friends Jeff and Stacey! If you visit Breaux Vineyards anytime soon, meet some friends, enjoy the wine, join the club, and be sure to tell them Virginia WIne Time sent you!
Month: November 2011
Spooky Tastings at Paradise Springs
So our planned adventures for Saturday got canned due to the historic Halloween snow event. Halloween and snow—who knew such a thing would ever happen in this part of the country! Anyway, we decided to make the most of our afternoon by donning our Halloween costumes for a haunted experience at nearby Paradise Springs.
Nothing new had been released since our last tasting this past spring, but our tasting associate, Linda, bewitched us into taking advantage of the two for one Halloween tasting special. Two tasters received wine tasting for the price of one if at least one was dressed in a costume. Of course, I was the dressed up one, and I looked quite dashing in my Renaissance garb. Linda served up the potions, and we sipped and swirled away.
Our preferences remained the same. The 2010 Chardonnay, Nana’s Rose and the 2009 Meritage were our standouts on the list. After our tasting, we decided to enjoy block of Manchego cheese and turkey pepperoni with a bottle of the Rose; before we were done, we noticed that the tasting room was getting more crowded. We also observed heavy snowflakes beginning to fall!
Before we left, we took advantage of the 10% discount offered to costumed costumers and bought a couple of bottles of our favorites. When we walked outside, we were amazed at the stark contrast presented before us—trees in full autumn finery decorated with snow. I’m sure that this is one of those once in a lifetime experiences, and Paul made certain to record the event with his camera. It’s hard to see the snowflakes in the picture but they were really coming down.
No doubt cooler weather is on its way, so make sure to visit Paradise Springs for a tasting. Enjoy a glass of wine by the outdoor fireplace promises to take the chill off, but please mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you!