Category: Wines

Finding Some Favorites

/ Paul / Leave a comment

After our stop at Trump Winery on Veterans Day weekend, we visited two more of our Charlottesville favorites, Blenheim Vineyards and Jefferson Vineyards.

At Blenheim they only had five wines to taste because of great sales lately. Of those we tasted, we really enjoyed the 2010 Chardonnay and the 2010 Cabernet Franc. The 2010 Chardonnay presented notes of pear and melon and had a crisp, refreshing ending. This one is 38% Chardonnay that is aged for five months in French and Hungarian barrels. The 2010 Cabernet Franc had a candy fruit nose and presented notes of dry herb, toffee, and a pepper end.

Towards the end of our tasting, Kirsty Harmon joined in and told us how challenging the 2011 season was for Blenheim. The amount of rain they got at the end of the season made it a difficult harvest. However, Kirsty is confident they’ll have some nice wines when they are released later this year. Kirsty also gave us a sample of the yet to be released 2010 Petit Verdot. I love Petit Verdots and this one promises to be just as nice as the 2009. After our chat with Kirsty we enjoyed a glass of the 2010 Chardonnay on the balcony. The views were beautiful with the fall colors coming to an end.

After our stop at Blenheim, we headed over to Jefferson Vineyards. We hadn’t been there since the bloggers conference in July. Unfortunately Andy Reagan wasn’t there. However, Allison, who we met at the bloggers conference was and she conducted our tasting. We always enjoy the wines at Jefferson.

From the tasting menu our favorites were the 2010 Chardonnay Reserve 2010.This is Warren’s kind of chardonnay. It presents notes of pear, apple and honey with just enough of an oak presence to stand up to food. This one always makes us think of a creamy pasta dish. Our other favorite was the 2008 Meritage. We noted dark fruit, herbs, cassis, and a smooth ending. As with other vintages of Jefferson Meritages, we think of thick filets. What a nice compliment a big piece of meat.

After our tasting I enjoyed a glass of the 2010 Chardonnay and Warren enjoyed a glass of the Chardonnay Reserve 2010. The fall colors and crisp afternoon went very well with the wines.

On your next trip to Charlottesville be sure to plan a visit to Blenheim Vineyards and Jefferson Vineyards. And be sure to tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Virginia Wines in Wine Spectator!

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I recently attended a wine maker’s dinner at a local restaurant, and the topic of Virginia wine came up. My table partner who brought up the topic was rather derisive about the notion that Virginia made quality wines and even scoffed at articles written by local wine experts who compared the best local wines to those of Bordeaux or Burgundy. Of course, yours truly chimed in that Virginia did indeed make some outstanding wines and suggested to my table mate that before dismissing local wines perhaps she should get out on the wine trails and try a few. I then mentioned that many Virginia wines earn medals at international wine competitions with several earning high scores in Wine Spectator magazine. And right on cue, this month’s edition rated wines from Lovingston Winery and Tarara Winery. Entries from both wineries rated in the 85-89 range, and a wine that earns a score in this range is described as “very good: a wine with special qualities.” Here are the wines and their scores:

Lovingston Merlot Monticello Josie’s Knoll 2010 – 87 points
Lovingston Cabernet Franc Monticello Josie’s Knoll 2010 – 86 points
Tarara Honah Lee Virginia 2010 – 86 points
Tarara Nevaeh White Virginia 2010 – 85 points

Congratulations to winemakers Riaan Rossouw and Jordan Harris of Lovingston Winery and Tarara Winery respectively for the diligent efforts both in the vineyards and the barrel room. And next time you come across a naysayer about Virginia wines, remind him/her that even internationally recognized and widely read wine magazines have taken notice of Virginia wines.

Plan a visit to Lovingston Winery and Tarara Winery to sample these excellent wines, and mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you.

Trump Winery

/ Paul / 3 Comments

We spent Veterans Day weekend in Charlottesville visiting some of our old favorite wineries. We’ll be posting about those visits in the weeks to come. The first winery we visited on this trip was the new Trump Winery which is actually the old Kluge Winery.

There have been some changes made to the tasting room. They have painted the exterior of the building, added new bathrooms, and built terraces to enjoy your wines and the beautiful views. Besides the few changes, the tasting room basically remains the same. They have the same delicious gourmet cheese selections. And some of the staff is the same. We were happy to see a familiar face upon entering the tasting room. Tammy has conducted many of our tastings in the past so when we saw her, we knew we’d enjoy our visit.

We selected a table and heard from our personal wine steward about the different levels of tastings. We decided to go with the full flight and try all the wines since it had been awhile since we enjoyed Kluge wines. The vintages may have changed but the quality remains the same. And the price points have come down a bit from what we remember. Our wine steward presented us with the test tubes (yes, they are still using those) and a description of each wine. We opted for a cheese plate to compliment the wines. We took our time and tried all the wines and the cheeses.

Our favorites might be the same as they have been in the past. We enjoyed the 2008 Kluge Estate SP Blanc de Blanc. Here the bubbles never stopped and notes of pear, lemon, and grapefruit ended with a creamy mouth feel. We also enjoyed the 2007 Albemarle Simply Red. We noted blackberry and anise. It had a smooth finish and a deep ruby color. While I really enjoyed sipping this Bordeaux style blend, I couldn’t help but think about a big steak. The bigger, bolder 2009 Kluge Estate New World was also a favorite. We look forward to future visits to Trump Winery to sample the wines under the Trump label.


Before leaving we purchased some of our favorites and checked out all the Trump products sprinkled throughout the tasting room. If you haven’t visited Trump Winery / Kluge Winery since the changes, its time to plan a visit. And when you do, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Not So Fast

/ Warren / 2 Comments

That is my response to those who are ready to dismiss the upcoming 2011 vintage. We hope to do a more comprehensive post on the 2011 harvest in the coming weeks; however, Boxwood Winery did offer a glimmer of the season’s potential. Executive Vice President Rachel Martin invited us out to the winery to sample some barrel samples of developing red wines from the 2011 harvest, and we were indeed quite impressed with what we tasted.

Readers may know that the 2011 grape growing season started with all of the potential of the heralded 2007 and 2010 seasons; however, Hurricane Irene ushered in weeks of rain throughout the state that gave vineyard managers and winemakers nightmares. Rain around harvest time is not usually appreciated in the vineyards, and this past September it came down in torrents. However, some areas of the state received more rain than others; lighter rainfall and diligent vineyard practices may have saved the grapes in many parts of Virginia.

This was clearly the case at Boxwood Vineyard. On a crisp, sunny fall day we visited Rachel Martin to sample some of the 2011 wines from the barrel. For their vineyard sites, September rainfall and little sunshine raised concerns of botrytis and sour rot; therefore, she opted for selective harvesting this season. Clusters that contained over 50% rot were not collected, and salvageable clusters were sorted berry by berry. “Painstaking” was the term used by Rachel to describe the process that consumed endless hours on harvest days. The result? Lower yields but clean fruit.

Rachel guided us to the barrel cave where we were treated to barrel samples from recently harvested 2011 grapes; in fact, the wines were at malolactic fermentation. The Merlot presented a deep hue in the glass to suggest good extraction with excellent fruit on the nose; likewise, the Cabernet Franc was clean with characteristic pepper notes. The Petit Verdot, though, was by far the star of the afternoon. Inky with concentrated plum flavors, it seems destined to shine in future releases. Nothing that we sampled suggested diluted colors or flavors, and we detected no vegetal notes to indicate lack of ripening.

Our time at Boxwood Winery concluded with samples of the upcoming 2010 releases now in tanks. The 2010 Topiary will be a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot; aromas of pepper and dried herbs dominated along with notes of raspberry and cherry to suggest an earthier blend. The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon will be not be blended; I noted characteristics of black fruit and tobacco with a pleasant whiff of violet. An addition to the Boxwood lineup will be the Trellis, a fruit forward table wine that blends Merlot and Malbec. This one should be prove to be popular as we both found it to be accessible and easy to drink either alone or with a meal.

So do not accept blanket dismissals of the 2011 harvest as fact for the entire state. We’ll do our best to keep readers posted. In the meantime, plan a visit to Boxwood Winery, and mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you!

2009 Petit Verdot from Gadino

/ Paul / 2 Comments

Many of you know that my favorite wine of the moment is petit verdot. Petit verdot is used all over the state as a blending grape. While many winemakers do an excellent job of using it as a blending grape, I think a stand alone petit verdot is the way to go. I’ve had several stand alone petit verdots from Virginia and I do think it will become a more prominent grape but until more wineries create a stand alone, I’ll continue to enjoy those that have seen the light.

Last spring Stephanie at Gadino Cellars gave us a barrel sample of the 2009 Petit Verdot. At that time we thought it was showing very well and anticipated its release. Last weekend we visited Gadino Cellars and Derek presented us with a preview bottle of the 2009 Petit Verdot. Oh how we love getting to taste wines ahead of their release. The 2009 Petit Verdot from Gadino Cellars will be released this weekend.

Last night for dinner we had lamb chops, roasted veggies, and red potatoes. What better wine to pair with this meal than the 2009 Petit Verdot. On the nose we noted dark plum, dark cherry, crushed dried herbs, and tobacco. In the mouth we noted similar characteristics of dark plum, dark cherry, and a creamy caramel finish. Warren detected a mocha component to this more complex wine. It paired beautifully with our meal.

Tasting this wine made me think about the 2008 reds. I wondered if I was enamored with 2008 reds or was I enamored with characteristics of 2009 reds. Such a dilemma. We decided we need to taste more 2009 reds. Either way, we completely enjoyed this 2009 Petit Verdot from Gadino Cellars. We suggest you get your bottle soon and enjoy this 2009 Petit Verdot. And you know, if we don’t like something, we don’t write about it. If you visit Gadino Cellars anytime soon, be sure to tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Snow and Wine at Breaux

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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!

Spooky Tastings at Paradise Springs

/ Warren / 1 Comment

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!

Friday Wine of Note

/ Paul / 2 Comments

As is often the case we found ourselves having nice thick filets and red potatoes for dinner Friday evening. The question always arises as to what wine to pair with our meal. We perused the wine rack and selected several possibilities but ultimately decided on the 2008 Meritage from King Family Vineyards. You know how much I’ve been enjoying the 2008 reds. I wondered if this 2008 would live up to the characteristics that I enjoy most from the 2008 reds. Sure enough, it did. A swirl and a sniff revealed plum, cherry, a hint of tobacco, and some anise. On the tongue we noted plum, cherry, and some spice at the end (maybe cinnamon or maybe even cedar). The fruit up front was what made me think of the 2008 reds that I enjoy. The mouthful of flavors complimented our meal very well. How could it not? If you haven’t tried the 2008 Meritage from King Family, be sure to put it on your list of 2008 reds to enjoy. And if you visit King Family Vineyards, tell them Virginia WIne Time sent you!

Virginia Wine Month Celebration

/ Paul / 4 Comments

Last night we attended a reception to celebrate Virginia Wine Month and Virginia Wine Tourism. There were many winery dignitaries in attendance as well as lots of media folks. The guest of honor was Governor Bob McDonnell. After introductions and fanfare, the governor spoke. He spoke about the wine industry in Virginia and how successful it’s been in the last few years. He noted that the industry will have great growth in the future especially with Donald Trump getting into the game. Of course the focus of the evening was wine and we got the chance to taste some of the best Virginia wine.

Breaux Vineyards poured the 2010 Viognier, 2007 Cabernet Franc Reserve, and the 2005 Nebbiolo. We agreed the winner here was the 2005 Nebbiolo. We noted cherry and raspberry with hints of licorice and tobacco. I really noticed the smooth finish. What a nice wine!

Barboursville Vineyards poured the Viognier Reserve 2010, the Octagon 2007 and the Malvaxia Reserve 2006. Here we really enjoyed the Octagon 2007. Great color, intense tannins, and berry flavors stood out here. We thought of food with this one.

Boxwood Winery poured the Topiary Rose Blend 2010, the Topiary Blend 2009, and the Boxwood Blend 2009. I think the Boxwood Blend 2009 really stood out here. It has a deep, dark color with hints of blackberry, violet, and anise. The tannins would accompany a thick steak really well.

Chatham Vineyards poured the Church Creek Vintner’s Blend (non vintage 2009 and 2010), the Church Creek Cabernet Franc (non vintage 2009 and 2010), and the 2010 Steel Church Creek Chardonnay. I really preferred the 2010 Steel Church Creek Chardonnay. I noted the pear and apple flavors on the nose as well as in the mouth. It had a nice mouth feel even though it spent no time in oak.

The Virginia Wine Board and the Virginia Tourism Corporation put on a wonderful event. We enjoyed the conversation, the wines, and the promotion of Virginia wine. We met some great people that we hadn’t met before. We even got to meet the governor! It was a great way to celebrate Virginia Wine Month. If you haven’t visited any of the wineries that poured at the event, you need to plan a trip to visit them soon. And tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!


Some of the Virginia Wine Mafia was in attendance!

Virginia Wines Before Dinner

/ Warren / Leave a comment

We had friends over for dinner this past Saturday, and we decided to pour Virginia wines as aperitifs.  After all, it is Virginia Wine month!  Guests were greeted with the Governor Fauquier from Philip Carter Winery and Sarah’s Patio White from Chrysalis Vineyards.  Both were off-dry wines and produced from the Vidal Blanc grape, a Riesling-like hybrid that grows very well in Virginia.  Like Riesling, Vidal Blanc is very fruity and refreshing, so some of the appetizers that I served with these wines were a bit spicy. Some of these dishes were captured by Paul, the cameraman.

Cheeses: Brie topped with hot peach chutney, or for the faint of stomach, plain brie and red grapes.
Nuts: Chili-lime flavored almonds; plain almonds for the wimps.  Not sure if olives pair with these wines, but the gourmet olives were stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes and were absolutely delicious! 
Meats: Smoked salmon

So what was on tap for the rest of the evening? I did splice in a couple of Napa wines from Clos Pegase winery; one was a Sauvignon Blanc that I sampled at a wine tasting and thought it was unique—tropical fruit flavors (as opposed to cat pee/grapefruit) with a refreshing acidity that seemed a perfect match with an acidic tomato dish.  The other was a Cabernet Sauvignon that has been resting on the wine rack for several years, but according to the wine mags, needed to be appreciated now.  And indeed it was appreciated!  It was quite good with the beef; however, the fruitier Virginia offering was very well-received by my dinner guests. A number of Virginia meritage blends would have paired quite nicely with my beef dish; however, I went with the Gray Ghost option based on my experience at the Gadsby’s Tavern winemaker dinner which featured the Ranger Reserve with a very similar beef dish.  Empty wine bottles indicated that the Virginia option was as popular as the California one. 

Anyway, here was the menu:

Fresh tomato soup paired with Clos Pegase Sauvignon Blanc 2009 
Garlic-herb crusted beef tenderloin with roasted potatoes and squash paired with Clos Pegase Cabernet Sauvignon 2005; Gray Ghost Ranger Reserve 2008
Pumpkin bundt cake served with Gray Ghost Adieu 2006
Community Brand Coffee and Chicory (found only in New Orleans)