Category: Winery

Starting Summer at Slater Run Vineyards

/ Warren / 2 Comments

It has been a while since we have been on the wine trails; however, this past weekend we made certain to enjoy the transition from spring to summer with a visit to Slater Run Vineyards. Our summer plans include outdoor concerts, picnics, and gatherings with friends, and our quest was to stock up on summer pours that would be appropriate for warm nights, festive fireflies, and summer fun!

Our visit to Slater Run Vineyards coincided with the winery’s opening of its new spacious tasting room. The well-appointed tasting room highlights a trendy yet tasteful barn-like atmosphere with plenty of glass doors and windows to maximize exposure to green space and mountain views. We also appreciate the no pets, no children rule; yes, we like dogs and love toddlers, but wine tasting is an adult (and human) experience. (Sorry to offend anyone!)

Kathy skillfully guided us through our tasting experience. My palate was tuned in to summer wines, and the 2018 Pinot Gris with its citrus notes and refreshing palate was an instant hit for me. We both enjoyed the 2018 Rose, a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Bright red berry aromas and red berry flavors screamed summer. (Readers may already know that 2018 was a very difficult growing season due to heavy rain, so get ready for lots of rose from Virginia wineries.) Lean meats on the grill should pair well with the light-bodied 2016 Cabernet Franc with its brambleberry notes and spicy finish. Grilled steaks and heartier meats would appreciate the 2016 Roots as a sidekick. Cabernet Sauvignon dominates this blend and is accompanied by Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot. Dark fruit prevails on the palate and the mouthfeel is heavier; however, the tannins are pliable; this one is accessible now but feel free to store on the rack for fall.

We enjoyed a bottle of the 2018 Rose with sliced ham, fresh strawberries, and light cheeses while taking in the scenic view from the patio. A gentle breeze and the scent of blossoms filled with warm air. Of course, we left with a case of our favorite wines, and we encourage readers to do the same. Please visit the new (and expansive) tasting room at Slater Run Vineyards to enjoy their excellent wines. Be sure to mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Nebbiolo Through the Years at Breaux Vineyards

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Nebbiolo is a grape variety that oenophiles would associate with Italy; however, there are a few wineries in Virginia that are able to grow the grape in their vineyards. Breaux Vineyards is one of them. In fact, it was owner Paul Breaux who fell in love with Nebbiolo while visiting Italy in the late 1990s and decided to try growing it in his own vineyard. It has since proven to be Breaux’s flagship red wine with excellent vintages on display at a recent vertical tasting.

The 2005 vintage was the eldest statesman at the event with the 2016 bottling debuting as the youngster. In between the two, the 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 were poured for comparison. Vintages are paired together and then partnered with three courses prepared by Grandale Restaurant and Catering. So what were our favorites?

First Course and Pairing:
Chicken, spinach, and prosciutto Napoleon with Bechamel Sauce paired with the 2005 and 2012 vintages.

This course proved that chicken can be matched with red wine. The 05 vintage was the winner at our table and presented the raisiny fruit profile associated with an aging red wine. I noted clover and earthy aromas too. However, the fruitier ’12 vintage with its brighter red berry notes was my own personal favorite.

Second Course and Pairing:
Braised pork shank over leek and truffle risotto paired with the 2014 and 2015 vintages.

This was my favorite course. The pork shank was braised to perfection with truffle risotto providing an earthier flavor to the dish; this matched quite well with the ’15 vintage and its dark fruit notes and subtle whiff of violet on the nose. For readers with a bottle of the ’14 vintage rest assured that it can stay a while longer on the wine rack. Tannins on this one are still firm. Decant if you insist on enjoying it now.

Third Course and Pairing:
Cheesy polenta cake with bolognese sauce and shaved pecorino Romano cheese with snow pea tendrils paired with the 2010 and 2016 vintages.

This was Paul’s favorite course—-the polenta cake was an excellent alternative to pasta with the bolognese sauce. The pairing also offered a contrast in winemaking styles. The 2010 shared a profile that was similar to the 2005, and both were products of longer oak aging. The 2016, though, presented the vision of current winemaker, Josh Gerard. Gerard favors less oak aging but longer bottle aging in order to showcase Nebbiolo’s lush aromatics. Though young, the ’16 presented rich berry notes that extended through the finish. The ’16 has not been released yet; however, it already shows potential.

Lagniappe (or bonus for those who are not from New Orleans):
Smoked chestnut and wine berry tossed in cocoa paired with the 2013 vintage

The ’13 was an easy sipper and a nice partner with the cocoa powder. Softer fruit notes and tannins with this one.

The Nebbiolo vertical allowed us to taste many of the vintages that we have on our own wine rack, and we determined that ’05 and ’10 vintages should be enjoyed now. ’14 and ’15 can rest while longer; ’12 and ’13 can be enjoyed now or held a bit longer. Be sure to visit Breaux Vineyards to either add to or begin your own collection of Nebbiolo, but mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Under a Starlit Sky

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We were invited to attend a soft opening of another new Virginia winery aptly named Star in the Valley. We can say that the new tasting room offers a stunning view of the Virginia skyline which was aglow with stars on the night of the opening. A starlight backdrop accented the wall behind the tasting bar, and the winery’s name, Star In The Valley, seemed fitting.

The winery currently has eight acres of property planted in vines with varietals that include Chardonel, a hybrid that mimics the Chardonnay profile, Vidal Blanc, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Star In The Valley now produces 400 cases of wines and can safely be classified as a small producer of wine.

We were treated to a tasting of the 2018 Field Star White, a Chardonel that was co-fermented with Chardonnay and then aged five months in neutral oak barrels, the 2018 Chardonel that was also co-fermented with Chardonnay but aged five months in new Hungarian oak barrels. Red wine offerings included the 2018 Cabernet Franc, and the 2018 Field Star Red, a blend of Cabernet Franc and Chambourcin.

After our tasting, we enjoyed light fare that included cheeses, prosciutto, olives, and canapés. Readers who wish to experience a new winery under the stars should consider Star in the Valley Winery. Mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you.

East Coast Wine Chat

/ Paul / Leave a comment

On Sunday we had the opportunity to join in on the East Coast Wine Chat on Twitter. For this month’s chat we were tasting wines from Dr. Konstantin Frank located in the Finger Lakes region of New York. The three wines they sent us to taste were the 2013 Blanc de Blanc, the 2016 Eugenia Dry Riesling and the 2017 Rkatsiteli.

Frank Morgan of Drink What You Like led the discussion on Twitter. There were two members of the winemaking team at Dr. Frank who helped answer questions submitted by the tasters on Twitter. Below is what we tweeted about each of the wines.

 

 

 

 

We enjoyed all three wines and the Twitter discussion. It’s a great way to learn about new wines we may not be familiar with. We hope to visit Dr. Frank’s winery sometime in the future. If you happen to visit Dr. Frank’s winery, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Return To The Barns

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Being retired affords me the time to go to wineries on work days. Last Friday I met my friend George at The Barns at Hamilton Station. George is a club member so we were able to take advantage of his membership and do a tasting. We hadn’t visited them for several years.

We tasted three white wines and three red wines. They had many others on their full wine list but they were only tasting the six wines. Of the whites, I really enjoyed the 2016 Viognier. It was tank fermented. I noted peach and honeysuckle. I was thinking of warmer times while tasting this one.

From the reds I really enjoyed the 2016 Petit Verdot. It had a nice ruby color and had notes of herbs and blueberry. The tannins were robust and made me think of a nice filet. I put this one on my purchase list. In talking with our tasting associate, I found out the grapes for this came from the Honah Lee vineyard in Charlottesville.

After our tasting we both enjoyed a glass of the 2015 Merlot. We noted the fruit forward nature and the smooth ending. Before leaving I bought my favorites and George picked up his shipment. It was nice to return to The Barns at Hamilton Station after so long and to see the wines progress nicely. Next time you visit them, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Cellar Tasting at Glen Manor

/ Paul / 2 Comments

On Saturday we headed out to Front Royal, Virginia to visit Glen Manor Vineyards. We were attending the December 2018 Cellar Tasting. We always enjoy tasting wines from the barrel to see how they are developing.

We started with the 2018 Dry Petit Manseng. It’s 100% petit manseng. Being so fresh in the barrel it’s obvious that it needs more time. However, we did note a nice level of acidity. We know when its released it will be a nice dry version of petit manseng.

The second wine was the 2017 St. Ruth. It’s a blend of 43% merlot, 35% cabernet franc and 22% petit verdot. The blend for 2017 is a bit different then it is for the current release, 2014. There is less merlot and more petit verdot. We think the blend is perfect and would easily enjoy a glass right now. But we’ll wait until it is released in the future.

The final wine we tasted from the barrel was the 2017 Hodder Hill. The 2017 Hodder Hill is a blend of 63% cabernet sauvignon, 21% merlot and 16% petit verdot. This may not even be the final blend. They will go through more blending trials to get to the final blend. The Hodder Hill has always been one of our favorites and this blend doesn’t disappoint. We know it will be a few years before it will be ready to enjoy but we’ll wait patiently knowing it will be worth the wait.

After the barrel tastings we went upstairs to the tasting room and tasted the other wines on the tasting menu. We then decided to enjoy a glass of the 2015 Cabernet Franc before leaving. We also bought several of our favorite wines. The next time you visit Glen Manor Vineyards, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Corks and Cheese at Gray Ghost

/ Paul / 2 Comments

On Saturday we attended the Christmas Cork and Cheese Celebration at Gray Ghost Vineyards. This event is their kick off to the holiday season.

We began with a tasting of the current wines on the tasting list. We love them all but the 2017 Chardonnay and the Ranger Reserve were among our favorites. We were given the Christmas glass for our tasting. This year the design is a castle, which is also the cork art that Al Kellert created for the event. One part of the event is guessing how many corks Al used to create the piece of art. We guess every year but never come close.

After our tasting we picked up our plate of cheese, crackers and bread and our glass of wine. While enjoying the cheeses, we looked at all the cork art and determined our guess for the year.

As usual, this is a very well attended event. We always enjoy ourselves. We purchased a few of our favorites before leaving. If you haven’t attended an event at Gray Ghost, you should think about putting one on your calendar. They have events all year long. And when you do attend one, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Black Friday at Magnolia Vineyards

/ Paul / Leave a comment

Warren’s parents visit us each year at Thanksgiving. We try to take them to a few wineries each visit. This year we decided to take them to Magnolia Vineyards on Black Friday.

We first visited Magnolia Vineyards when they first opened for business in the summer of 2014. At that time they were tasting their wines in the basement level of their home. During this visit we also tasted the wines in their basement but we found out a new tasting room and wine facility is almost complete. Hopefully early in the new year tastings will be taking place in the new tasting room and wine production will be taking place in the new wine facility instead of their garage.

Our tasting consisted of three white wines, a blush, three red wines and a dessert/port style blackberry merlot wine. Each wine was paired with a different kind of cheese as well. Our palates must have been in sync that day because we both enjoyed the 2015 Viognier with it’s melon and honey notes. Of the reds, we also both enjoyed the 2016 Cabernet Franc reserve. We noted cherry, raspberry and some black pepper. It paired nicely with the Manchego cheese. Warren’s father also enjoyed the Petit Verdot. He enjoyed the cherry and cranberry notes as well as the tannic presence at the end.

After our tasting we all enjoyed a glass of the 2015 Viognier. Magnolia Vineyards is a dog friendly facility and allows dogs in the tasting room. While we enjoyed our Viognier, we watched the dogs play with each other and run around the tasting room. Before leaving we bought all our favorites to enjoy at home. We plan to return in the future to see the new facility and check out the new tasting room. The next time you visit Magnolia Vineyards, let them know Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Join The Club!

/ Warren and Paul / 4 Comments

October is Virginia Wine Month, and readers may want to consider joining the club at their favorite winery or wineries. Paul and I do belong to a few Virginia wine clubs, and we can attest to some of the benefits of club memberships. Here are some of them:

Flexibility—-Most wineries offer membership levels to make them affordable and/or convenient. For example, I prefer club memberships that offer a one case requirement and then you are “in”! Some wineries offer monthly or quarterly purchase requirements while others offer options that include all of the above.
Benefits—-The best memberships offer exclusive benefits such as the use members’ only (and usually quieter) quarters, exclusive members’ only wines, discounts on tastings, wine purchases and winery events such as barrel tastings, dinners, and concerts.
Experience—-Wine club members usually get to sample club wines poured by an educator who is dedicated to providing a quality experience. We appreciate the extra time given to us by educators who can answer our pesky questions about vineyard sites, microclimates, harvest experiences, etc. We are even treated to mini-verticals at times, and these allow us to know whether to drink now or hold on the wine rack!

Examples:
Warren: I renewed my case club membership to Slater Run Winery. The winery does offer a quarterly option; however, I like the convenience of the “one case a year option.” A case of wine allows me to appreciate the excellent skills of winemaker Katel Giraud whenever I like. I enjoy free tastings and discounts on purchases; furthermore, I get ample notice of winemaker’s dinners and other winery events. My recent case included the excellent dry Rose, old-world style Chardonnay, and the complex Bordeaux blend called Roots!

Paul: I’ve been a club member at Breaux Vineyards since 2006. I appreciate getting sneak peaks of wines that are released to club members first. Each quarter we get three wines that represent a the best of Breaux wines. Breaux has several vertical wine tasting events each year and we always enjoy attending a few of them. And the wine club pick-up parties are always fun!

Ending Summer 2018 on a High Note

/ Warren / 2 Comments

Rain, rain and more rain——that is the only way to sum up this past summer in Virginia. However, the rain did not stop us from visiting local wineries, and we can recommend to readers a newcomer to the scene. That would be Bozzo Family Vineyards, a new winery in Loudoun County that is destined for great things.

We entered the small yet quaint tasting room and were greeted by owner and winemaker Stephen Bozzo. Bozzo is also a lawyer who was bitten by the winemaking bug. His 17 acre property boasts 8 acres planted with vines, and Sauvignon Blanc is the most planted varietal. In fact, Bozzo believes that this grape may be the winery’s flagship varietal; however, until new vines mature, Sauvignon Blanc is not yet available for tasting at the winey.

While Bozzo Family Vineyards may be small in production, winemaker Bozzo is large on goals. His 2nd Act, a Bordeaux-style blend with Cabernet Sauvignon taking the lead, won a gold medal at the Virginia Governor’s Cup as well as the Loudoun Wine Awards this year. Murph, so named after the Murphy side of the Bozzo family, is a Chardonnay aged in stainless steel and earned a gold medal in the 2018 Loudoun Wine Awards. Bozzo’s ultimate goal is to produce all wines from estate-grown fruit which will be possible with this year’s harvest; until then, Bozzo has sourced fruit from local vineyards.

Stephen Bozzo’s passion and commitment to making excellent wine was obvious to us as he conducted our tasting. He is dedicated to maintaining vigilant practices in the vineyard that produce high-quality fruit which in turn creates award-winning wines. The wines that we tasted were well-crafted including Louise, a dry Petit Manning and the lighter-bodied red 2016 La Famiglia, a red blend lead by Merlot with supporting roles played by smaller amounts of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The award winner mentioned above spoke for themselves!

We finished our tasting and left with bottles of our favorites which included Murph and 2d Act. We know that we will be returning to Bozzo Family Vineyards soon; however, we urge readers to visit even sooner—-mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you!