The COVID pandemic has kept us from visiting wineries as much as we would like. We still need to pick up club wines and taste what new wines are on tasting menus though. Saturday we decided we would take a trip to Delaplane Cellars and pick up our club wines and enjoy a tasting. We planned to get their early to avoid any possible crowds. And we made a reservation ahead of time. We put on our masks and made our way to Delaplane.
We started with the current self guided tasting. We tasted four of the current vintages. We tasted the 2019 Petit Manseng, 2017 Benevino Cabernet Franc, 2017 Cinq 8 and the 2017 Williams Gap. Warren jotted down some notes for each one.
2019 Petit Manseng – apple, honeyed texture, balanced
2017 Benevino Cabernet Franc – smoky nose, cedar, cherry, mocha, blackberries, dried herb, juicy palate
2017 Cinq 8 – juicy nose, tobacco, anise, menthol, cherry, currant, a little chewy, acidity gives structure
2017 Williams Gap – tight on nose, swirl leather, blackberry, tobacco, surprisingly juicy, cherry palate
After our tasting Matt offered to let us try the 2019 Chardonnay Reserve. We were thinking of having it with our lunch items. He was not wrong in his suggestion! Warren made some notes for this one as well.
2019 Chardonnay Reserve – neutral oak, rich pear, chamomile, pear/apple, palate lingers for a while, elegant.
We decided to have a bottle of the 2019 Chardonnay Reserve with our lunch. It was delicious and paired well with our lunch items. The views at Delaplane are spectacular. Being inside the tent with just a few other patrons socially distanced made enjoying the views even better. We felt completely safe and comfortable during our visit. After lunch we split a glass of the 2017 Cinq 8. We enjoyed it with a few dark chocolates they provided.
Before leaving we picked up our club wines and added another three to make it an even case. We want to thank all the guys at Delaplane for making our visit a nice one. If you haven’t been to Delaplane lately, it’s time to make a reservation and visit. When you do, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!