Category: Wines

What To Do On A Rainy Day?

/ Warren / Leave a comment

We went wine tasting! First stop was Loudoun Valley Vineyards. Our last visit to Loudoun Valley Vineyards was in March, 2010, and we were anxious to taste the current releases.

Of the white wines, we both favored the very aromatic 2009 Traminette. The Traminette grape is a hybrid of Gewurztaminer and Seyval Blanc, and this offering presented characteristics of both parents. It floral nose was quite intoxicating, and we both noted citrus and stone fruit flavors. Spicy fare or spring time menus that include baked ham would pair nicely with this one.

The red wines resulted in a split decision. I tended to favor the 2008 Dynasty which is a blend of Cabernet Franc (50%), Merlot and Touriga Nacional. This is a more fruit forward offering with elements of mixed berries and spice. I noted a velvety finish, too. Winemaker Bree Ann Moore favors neutral French oak barrels which may explain the softer tannic presence. Paul preferred the 2008 Cabernet Franc. He appreciated its dark plum and cherry flavors and full fruit finish; Paul also noted hints of black pepper in the mouth that would be characteristic of Cabernet Franc. Tasters who are hope for an early grilling season may want to try the lighter bodied 2008 Chambourcin or the Vinifera Red that includes such Rhone varieties as Mouvedre and Syrah.

Upcoming releases will include a non-fortified port style wine made from Touriga Nacional. This will be called Legacy and will be available in May. We will be sure to check back when this and other new releases may be on the tasting menu. Be sure to stop by Loudoun Valley Vineyards for a tasting, and be sure to mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you.

Saturday Sips

/ Paul / 1 Comment

Our Saturday sips included two white wines. We started the evening with the 2008 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay from Delaplane Cellars. I thought it was a food wine while Warren was easily able to sip it while enjoying some cheese and crackers. Our dinner wine was the 2008 Viognier from Pollak Vineyards.

We had the 2008 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay from Delaplane Cellars with some manchego cheese and crackers. I noted oaky pear on the nose while Warren jotted down pear and honey. In the mouth I thought this was a classic oaken chardonnay with buttery notes and a creamy mouth feel. Warren noted a honey texture, bit-o-honey (like the candy) and a toasty finish. We both thought though, that it went really well with the cheese and crackers. I thought it might even go better with some white fish or crab cakes. Warren agreed.

For dinner we had parmesan encrusted tilapia with black rice (by the way this was the first time I had black rice and it was pretty good…bland, but pretty good). Warren selected the 2008 Viognier from Pollak Vineyards. I was upset because this was my last bottle. I have loved all the vintages of the viognier from Pollak. I need to visit them again to get some of the 2010. Back to the wine…on the nose we noted apricot, stone fruit. In the mouth we noted minerality, stone fruit, Warren’s “bit-O-honey,” and a fruity finish. As it warmed up I definitely got honey as Warren noted. I love this wine and thought it went beautifully with our tilapia. If you find yourself enjoying a tasting at Pollak Vineyards or Delaplane Cellars, please tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

“3”

/ Paul / 3 Comments

Here’s a short video of our impressions of the new wine “3” by Pollak Vineyards, King Family Vineyards, and Veritas Winery. Click on the picture to see the video.

Live on Twitter!

/ Paul / Leave a comment

First…if you are looking for our Top 20 lists just scroll down. It’s below this post. Also, please check out the analysis of many of our lists over at DrinkWhatYouLike. Nice job, Frank!

Second…we received a bottle of the soon to be released “3”. It’s the collaboration wine by King Family Vineyards, Pollak Vineyards, and Veritas Vineyards. The official release date is tomorrow, March 3rd. We will be tasting our bottle LIVE on Twitter at 7:00 PM. Be sure to follow us on Twitter to get the first impressions of this wine. We hear great things about it and we’re looking forward to tasting it and sharing our impressions LIVE on Twitter! @vawinetime

Top 20

/ Warren and Paul / 6 Comments

Recently Jordon Harris, winemaker at Tarara, left a comment on the Swirl, Sip, Snark blog suggesting some of us create a list of our top 20 Virginia wines. We all decided that was a great idea. So here are our top 20 lists. Both of our lists are in alphabetical order by winery and are not intended to rank any one wine over another on the lists.

Warren’s List:
Please note that these were my favorite Virginia wines that I tasted last year; however, they may have been released before 2010.

1. Afton Mountain Vineyards 2006 Sparkling Wine-a Thibaut-produced classic
2. Barboursville Vineyards Octagon 2004
3. Barboursville Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc Reserve
4. Breaux Vineyards 2002 Merlot Reserve-always a favorite and only gets better with age
5. Breaux Vineyards 2009 Water Bent Viognier
6. Chrysalis Vineyards2009 Albarino-stellar!
7. Chrysalis Vineyards 2005 Norton Locksley Reserve-do read the Todd Kliman’s Wild Vine
8. Delaplane Vineyards 2008 Honah Lee Viognier
9. Gray Ghost Vineyards 2008 Chardonnay Reserve-the crowd favorite at my parents’ 50 anniversary party
10. Gray Ghost Vineyards 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
11. Glen Manor Vineyards 2007 Sauvignon Blanc
12. Ingleside Vineyards 2005 Petit Verdot-the sleeper at the Drink Local conference.
13. King Family Vineyards 2007 Meritage-won Governor’s Cup; outstanding example from an outstanding year.
14. King Family Vineyards 2009 Crose-classic Rose that should be on every wine rack during the summer
15. Linden 2008 Boisseau Red-Wine Spectator liked this one!
16. Linden2006 Hardscrabble Chardonnay
17. Linden Avenius Sauvignon Blanc
18. Pollak Vineyards 2008 Petit Verdot
19. Rappahannock Cellars 2009 Viognier-another Wine Spectator favorite!
20. Villa Appalachia Vineyards Simpatico-Yum!! I wish this winery were not so far away!

Paul’s List:
My list consists of wines that have stood out in my mind over the last few years. You will see several wineries with multiple entries and that’s because I think the consistent quality of their wines is exceptional. There are so many other wines I wanted to put on the list but had to limit it to 20.

1. Blenheim Vineyards 2008 Petit Verdot-2008 produced some wonderful fruit forward wines.
2. Breaux Vineyards 2002 Merlot Reserve-probably the best merlot I’ve ever had.
3. Breaux Vineyards 2009 Viognier Water Bend Barrels-from the cellar club selection
4. Chrysalis Vineyards 2009 Chardonnay-I love this crisp stainless style chardonnay
5. Corcoran Vineyards 2008 Malbec-Might be the best malbec in the state. I only have one bottle left!
6. Gray Ghost 2004 Adieu-wonderful dessert wine
7. Gray Ghost 2008 Merlot-smooth and big cherry
8. Gray Ghost 2009 Cabernet Franc-smooth and fruity, unlike so many others in Virginia
9. Horton Sparkling Viognier
10. Jefferson Vineyards 2007 Viognier
11. King Family Vineyards 2007 Meritage-Governor’s Cup winner!
12. King Family 2009 Crose-delightfully delicious rose
13. Kluge Estate VIneyard Blanc de Blanc-another nice sparkling
14. Kluge Estate Vineyard 2002 New World Red-loved this one…should have kept it on the rack longer.
15. Linden Vineyards 1999 Hardscrabble Chardonnay-OMG It’s a memory now.
16. Linden Vineyards 2006 Avenius Sauvignon Blanc-perfect minerality and citrus
17. Linden Vineyards 2007 Claret-a red that shows just how great 2007 was.
18. Pollak Vineyards 2008 Petit Verdot-another example of the fruit forward wines from 2008.
19. Pollak Vineyards 2009 Viognier-The crisp, fruity nature of this one made me fall in love with viogniers
20. Pollak Vineyards 2009 Chardonnay-my pick as a perfect example of chardonnay in Virginia

Friday Pours

/ Paul / Leave a comment

We started our evening with the 2009 Chardonnay from King Family. We paired it with some parrano cheese and a baguette. On the nose we noted pear and a twist a lemon. In the mouth we noted pear, a hint of granny smith apple, creme brulee, and a weightier mouth feel with a lengthier finish. We also noticed the clear straw color. It went well with our nibbles.

For dinner Warren selected the 2007 Petit Verdot from Gadino Cellars. I had a steak and Warren had herb crusted lamb chops. We also had roasted vegetables and pearl pasta. On the nose we got concentrated fruit, anise, and a streak of minerality. In the mouth we noted similar characteristics as well as a black pepper, longer finish with a vanilla ending. As with most 07 red vintages from Virginia decant first. And that’s exactly what we did. We thoroughly enjoyed it and Warren used the word “lovely” more than once.

What Virginia wines are you enjoying this weekend?

Wednesday Wine

/ Warren / 2 Comments

Not to be outdone by Paul, I’ve decided to present my own favorite wine of the week, and that would be the Sunset Hills Cabernet Franc Reserve from the outstanding 2007 vintage. I last sampled this one back in March of 2010, and I can say that it has gotten even better over time. It presented a nice dense color in the glass and a smoky nose that included aromas of concentrated dark fruit and spice. Lush and complex, I noted flavors of dark plum, dark cherry and blackberry along with complements of tobacco and pepper. Aging in both French and American oak barrels for 18 months made for a lengthy finish. I nursed a glass for an entire evening and noticed that it softened considerably with some air time. If readers still have a bottle of this one on their wine racks, consider aging for a little longer; however, the enclosure is synthetic, and I’ve grown to distrust the ability of these to keep wines from spoiling or aging properly. Do enjoy with any braised meats, steaks or roasts; be sure to serve with roasted veggies, too.

We have not done a tasting of current releases at Sunset Hills since last fall, so we are certainly due for a visit. If you get there before we do, mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you.

Monday Sip

/ Paul / 2 Comments

The temperature changed today back to a more wintery level. With wintery weather in the forecast, I was looking for a red to sip for the evening. I have lots of reds to choose from but most of them I would need to have food. I was just looking for a sipper. I picked the 2009 Cabernet Franc from Blenheim Vineyards. I know I just posted about them last week but I do enjoy their wines and have several of them on my rack. While the 2009 Cabernet Franc would go beautifully with food, it doesn’t have to. That’s one thing I like about it. You can just sip it.

After cracking open the screw cap and pouring a glass, I noticed smoke and some light fruit on the nose. The first sip revealed some green pepper, a very slight hint of cherry, herbs, and a tart finish. After a few swirls and a little air, I noticed a floral quality that I haven’t noticed before. This cab franc spent 6 months in French and Appalachian barrels. I’m not familiar with the characteristics that come from Appalachian barrels. Maybe some of the qualities I’m noticing come from these barrels. In any case, I enjoyed the 2009 Cabernet Franc from Blenheim Vineyards. Blenheim is one of my favorite wineries and really enjoy the direction Kirsty is going with her wines. Visit Blenheim soon and tell Kirsty Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Beauties at Blenheim

/ Paul / 1 Comment

On our recent visit to Charlottesville we planned to stop at Blenheim Vineyards to catch up with Kirsty Harman and to taste the newest wines. We last visited Blenheim in August so most of the wines we tasted were new. We were lucky to have Kirsty conduct our tasting.

The whites started with the wonderfully crisp and fruity 2009 Blenheim Farm Chardonnay. This was my kind of chardonnay. While tasting I jotted down honeysuckle, tropical fruit and a nice soft finish. The 2009 Blenheim Farm Chardonnay received my gold star for the whites. We then tasted the 2009 Painted White. This is a blend of viognier, rousanne, and marsanne. We noticed melon, spice, and honey and a creamy finish. Warren suggested this would make a perfect winter white wine. The last white was the non-vintage What Table Wine. This one is 100% chardonnay aged five months in French and American oak. It also has a very low .6% RS. We noted apple, pear, and citrus flavors. Warren noted the nice texture and thought this one would go well with spicy foods. Before moving on to the reds we tasted the 2009 Rose. Don’t let the salmon color fool you. This is a nice crisp, fruity rose. We enjoyed the melon and strawberry flavors. We know this one is perfect for warm days. We usually take it with us to Wolf Trap concerts.

The first of the reds was the non-vintage Red Table Wine. This is a blend of merlot, malbec, syrah, and cab franc. It’s aged in stainless steel. No oak on this one! Right away we noticed how much this one reminded us of a Beaujolais. It was bright and fruity with hints of violet, cherry and plum notes…a perfect pizza or burger wine. Next up was the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon. This one is a blend from two vineyards. We noted raspberry and plum flavors. The 2009 Syrah was next. This one is 86% syrah with 10% mourvedre and 4% grenache. We noted cherry on the nose and on the tongue with some black pepper. We haven’t tasted very many syrah’s in Virginia but we think this is one of the best. Last up on the tasting sheet was the 2008 Cabernet Franc. We noted cherry, smoke, cranberry, and a nice finish. With the regular tasting complete, Kirsty suggested we try some others that were not on the regular tasting sheet. Of course we said we’d love to try them. We were able to taste the 2009 Seven Oaks Merlot. This one was part of the Taste Live event late last year. We enjoyed this one but only after having it open for some time. It needs time to breath. Giving it some oxygen brings out the flavors. If you have a bottle of this one, open it and walk away. Come back in three hours and you’ll love it. We also go to taste the 2009 Petit Verdot. This one quickly became my favorite of the day. It received my gold star for the reds. I noted some dark red fruit with a smooth mouth feel and a bit of spice and smoke. LOVE IT!

Kirsty then asked if we wanted to taste a few things still in the barrel. She had to twist our arms but we obliged. We got a sneak peek of the 2010 Rose right out of the tank. OMG! Beautiful color, pink roses on the nose; strawberry and cranberry in the mouth. This is going to be an amazing rose. We can’t wait to get some in the bottle. Kristy then let us taste two different barrels of syrah. She’s not sure what she’ll do with them yet but the second one really stood out as special. We then tasted a barrel with grenache and mourvedre blended together. She’s not sure what she’s going to do with the barrel but wants to see where it’s going.

We always enjoy our time at Blenheim Vineyards. Kirsty is so full of wine knowledge and is always willing to share it with us, as well as all her wines! I left with a case of Blenheim wines. Half of the case was the 2009 Petit Verdot! The next time you’re in Charlottesville, plan a trip to Blenheim Vineyards. You will thoroughly enjoy the wines. And them them Virginia Wine Time sent you!