Author: Paul

Membership Has Its Benefits

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We went to Breaux Vineyards on Friday to pick up my Cellar Club selections. We went ahead and did a full tasting while we were there. My gold star for the whites went to the 2009 Madeline’s Chardonnay and Warren’s gold star went to the 2008 Viognier. Our gold starred favorite for the reds was the 2006 Meritage. Warren’s close second was the cellar-worthy 2005 Nebbiolo.

If you are a Cellar Club member you will enjoy wines every two months to which the general public is not privy. The first selection was the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. Done in stainless steel, it presented a nose of citrus and hay. In the mouth we noted a refreshing minerality with citrus flavors and a crisp, clean feel. Perfect for summer either on it’s own or with a shellfish dinner. The second selection was the 2007 Petit Verdot. How nice! Upon tasting this one, we instantly decided it should be cellared for a while. Its dark inky color suggested a bolder pour; however, it was still tight on the nose. Several swirls eventually allowed us to note aromas of dark plum, tobacco, and coffee. In the mouth we noted dark plum, dark currents, black pepper and a chewy finish. Drink now but be certain to decant.

On Saturday evening we went to Wolf Trap for a concert and enjoyed the 2008 Syrah Rose. We must note here that the 2009 Rose is made with Cabernet Sauvignon and gives a sweet impression while the 2008 is very dry.

If you decide to become a member of Breaux’s Cellar Club or if you visit Breaux and do a tasting, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Veraison

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From Wikipedia: Véraison is a viticulture (grape-growing) term meaning “the onset of ripening”. It is originally French, but has been adopted into English use. The official definition of veraison is “change of color of the grape berries.” Veraison represents the transition from berry growth to berry ripening, and many changes in berry development occur at veraison.

We were at Breaux Vineyards yesterday picking up my Cellar Club selections. While there we checked out the grapes and this is what we saw. Is this early for veraison?

Midweek Pour

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Our mid-week pour is the 2007 Claret from Linden Vineyards. Right away we noticed the dark, rich color. On the nose we noted dark fruit, coffee, and dried herbs. We noticed almost exactly the same characteristics on the tongue–coffee, currents, plums, dark fruit. We just enjoyed it by itself. It was a perfect sipper for a relaxing evening.

Enotria Guide

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Are you looking for an iPhone app that helps you pronounce the wines of the world? The Enotria Guide is for you. With this app you can find the wine word you’re looking for and have the app pronounce it for you. We received a copy to test out. I have an iPad and while it’s written for the iPhone, it does work on the iPad. An iPad specific version is in the works. We tested it out and found that it had lots of layers to go through to find the words but the words are pronounced clearly and with the correct accent. If you are in the industry and already know how to pronounce the wines of the world, you’ll find this app useless. However, if you are new to wine this app might help you pronounce the words correctly. Have fun!