Paul and I have always been impressed with the wines produced by Jim Dolphin at Delaplane Cellars, and since our last visit to the winery, Delaplane Cellars has earned numerous accolades of wine critics. Feature articles in newspapers and magazines added to the demand for wines from the relatively new winery in Virginia. And if the wines were not enough to visit Delaplane Cellars, the incredible mountain views offer further incentive.
Success has been wonderful to Delaplane Cellars; in fact, it has been too good. On this particular visit, most of their wines were sold out! This includes the heralded Honah Lee and Maggie’s Viogniers as well as the acclaimed Syrah. Four wines were available for tasting, and two were from Delaplane Cellars—the full-bodied 2010 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay and the complex red 2009 William’s Gap. To fill in the gaps, two offerings from Vintage Ridge were also available tasting, a 2008 Merlot and a 2009 Cabernet Franc. I favored both Delaplane wine, especially the Chardonnay; Paul enjoyed the Merlot as well as the Chardonnay.
As we tasted, our tasting associates updated us on the upcoming releases. Look forward to red wine releases in late winter, and these will include a Syrah, the blended Cinq, and a Tannat. An off-dry Petit Manseng will also be released at roughly the same time. Viogniers? Bottlings from the Honah Lee and Maggie’s Vineyards should be available in the late spring.
From the tasting bar, the winter landscape beckoned, and we shifted our attention to wine, food and gazing. We opted to enjoy a lunch of soft, creamy white cheese with warm bread and a bottle of the 2010 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay. We appreciated its flavors of apples, pears and honey; its full-bodied mouth feel complemented the creamy texture of the cheese. As we sipped and nibbled, we appreciated the often under-appreciated winter landscape that allowed us to view blue-tinted mountains on a very sunny afternoon.
We will be certain to visit Delaplane Cellars in the spring and summer to sample upcoming releases. In the meantime, enjoy the quiet of wintertime with a trip to Delaplane Cellars. Be sure to mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you.
Wine and Chocolates Fundraiser
Our wine blogger friend Allan from Cellarblog is working to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society by being part of a wine event coming up in February. Here are the details from his blog. Consider being part of the event and helping raise money for a worthwhile cause.
My friend Jacki has Multiple Sclerosis. Every year she organizes a team to participate in the Challenge Walk for the National Capital Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Jacki’s Determined Soles. For the last three years we have hosted a wine tasting featuring wines from local wineries to help raise money for her team.
This year, we are hosting a much bigger event. The Wine & Chocolate Tasting will be held at Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro on February 12th from 1:00 to 4:00.
Vinifera is located in the Westin Reston Hotel at 11750 Sunrise Valley Dr Reston, VA 20191.
We will have representatives from some of your favorite wineries pouring their wines:
•Loudoun Valley
•Fabbioli
•Tarara
•Notaviva
Each winery will be pairing two of their wines with chocolate from local chocolatier MC2 Confections! Because we will have winery representatives in attenance you will be able to purchase wines and chocolate to take home with you for Valentine’s Day!
We will also have two Chocolate Fountains and a silent auction with some great items donated by local vendors.
Tickets for the event are $15 and all money from ticket sales go directly to the charity.
I really want to thank all of the participants. Every one of the wineries has agreed to donate time and wine to this event. Jason at Vinifera and Meridith at MC2 Confections have both donated a lot in time and effort to make sure this event is a big success.
You can purchase tickets through the Jacki’s Determined Soles website, or at the door the date of the event.
Dinner Wines
The holidays are finally over and we’re back to a regular posting schedule. We visited some wineries this weekend and will be posting about them soon but until then here’s what we enjoyed Saturday evening for dinner.
We began the evening with the 2009 Annefield White from Annefield Vineyards. We enjoyed this one with cheese and crackers before dinner. We really enjoyed the crisp edge with a slightly sweet hint. We noted kiwi, melon, and tropical flavors. Warren described as a tropical fruit salad. We visited Annefield Vineyards in the summer and left with a case of wine. The 2009 Annefield White garnered two spots in the case box. We’ll need to plan another trip to Annefield to stock up again soon.
For dinner we had oven baked buttermilk chicken with roasted red potatoes and veggies. At first we thought we’d be having another white wine but Warren perused my wine rack and selected the 2008 Malbec from Corcoran Vineyards. This one is light enough to not overpower the chicken but give us a fruit structure strong enough to compliment the chicken. And it did just that. As you may remember, I’m a huge fan of the 2008 reds and this one lived up to that expectation. Lots of fruit characters on the nose and tongue. We noted lavender wood and blackberry on the nose. We picked up dark fruit like raspberries in the mouth. The smooth finish went well with the chicken dish. We will say that its time to enjoy this wine now. I wouldn’t keep it on your rack much longer. And the 2009 Malbec is out there so get some of that and enjoy the 2008 now.
Two more perfect selections for our dinner wines. If you happen upon Annefield Vineyards or Corcoran Vineyards anytime soon, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you! We know we need to visit both soon!
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! It’s been a busy holiday season. We haven’t visited any wineries recently but have plans to in the weeks to come. Of course we’ll be posting about our visits. Until then, we attended a wonderful dinner party where we enjoyed a Virginia wine.
Last Friday we joined a group of our wine buddies at our friend Susan’s house for an evening of delicious food and wonderful wines. We enjoyed some nice California and French wines but only one Virginia wine. We had a chance to enjoy a glass of the RdV. We haven’t been out to the vineyard yet but have heard lots of things about the vineyard and the wines. The RdV had a very dense color, was well balanced with dark fruit notes and velvety tannins. We enjoyed our chance to taste this exclusive wine. Thanks Stacey and Jeff! The evening was filled with food, wine, and conversation. We had a great time with our wine friends Susan, Stacey and Jeff, Mike and Paula, Paula and Gary, and Susie and Rick. We look forward to catching up with you all on the wine trail in the new year!
Happy Holidays!
We hope everyone is enjoying the holidays with lots of Virginia wine! We’ll be taking this week off to be with family and enjoy the holidays as well. Enjoy the holidays and Happy New Year, too!
Verticals at Breaux Vineyards
This past weekend we headed to Breaux Vineyards to pick up my latest Cellar Club selections. While there we decided to do a tasting to see what had been added to the tasting menu. We were treated to a few vertical tastings of new wines and some classics. While we enjoyed all of the Breaux wines, I’ll only inform you of the wines that were included in our vertical tastings.
We began with merlots. Breaux is now tasting the 2005 and the 2006 at the tasting bar. Our favorite tasting associate Silvia, walked us through our tastings. The 2005 Merlot is a wonderful wine. We noted cherry, chocolate, dark fruit, and finish that was smooth. We thought this one could be enjoyed on its own or with food. The 2006 Merlot presented early, herby characteristics with acidic notes. We noted spice, plum, and cherry. We think this one needs another year or two to be a superb wine. We suggest you purchase it now and let it sit on your rack to enjoy in the years to come.
Our second vertical consisted of the cab sauvs from 2005, 2006, and 2008. Warren and I were split on our gold stars for the cab sauvs. I preferred the 2008 with its fresh, fruity, sweet nose with bright berries and light tannins on the tongue. The 2008 was a perfect example of the fruity characteristics I expect from a 2008 red. Warren selected the 2005 for his gold star. He described it as a classic cab sauv. He noted dark cherry, pepper, coffee and chocolate and noted the subtle oak would accompany food rather well. We both thought the 2006 presented a green characteristic (not green pepper though) with wet wood notes. We both think this one will get better with time.
Our final vertical included the 2006 Nebbiolo and the 2008 Barrel Select Nebbiolo. Our gold star went to the 2008 Barrel Select Nebbiolo. We noted a fruity nose with blackberry and dark currants in the mouth. We noted the chewy quality of this wine. The 2006 Nebbiolo presented herb, spice, tobacco, tar, and coffee. This one also had a chewy quality to it.
We really enjoyed our chance to taste so many vintages. We were excited about the Cabernet Sauvignons. So much so we are planning to attend the Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical tasting on January 14th. If you are planning to attend the event, let us know so we can all sit together. And if you visit Breaux Vineyards anytime soon, be sure to tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!
Virginia Wine For The Holidays
Yes, it is the holiday season, and readers may have noticed that we have not been on the wines trails. Holiday fun and mayhem have left little time for weekend treks to the wineries; however, rest assured that we have been enjoying Virginia wines whenever possible.
We always enjoy holiday movies at this time of year, and a recent holiday film night featured two favorites, The Bishops Wife and Christmas in Connecticut. What wines to enjoy with these seasonal classics? With a nice chunk of manchego cheese on the chopping block, we poured the 2008 Claret from Linden. It offered notes of dark fruit and dried herbs with similar flavors. Medium bodied, it finished with a splash of vanilla. Easy to drink, it was perfect with the gaminess of the manchego cheese. By the time we sipped through this one, Dudley the Angel turned the sour Agnes Hamilton into an angel herself, and Santa brought Elizabeth Lane a handsome soldier who used the old Magoo to charm the ladies.
Virginia wines are always on the menu when we have friends over for dinner, and this past weekend we poured the 2009 Rose from Linden. (Yes, Linden again, but who can blame us?) Crisp with grapefruit notes and flavors of strawberry and citrus, it proved to be a versatile pour that paired well with a salad of marinated roasted beets, orange slices and chives.
And imagine our pleasant surprise when our friends, Dorothy and Laura, brought us a bottle of wine to enjoy with dinner. Their wine of choice? The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon from Barboursville Vineyards. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and he regularly delivers Virginia wines to good boys and girls. (Well, good friends sometimes are the Santas, and they have the good taste to give Virginia wines as gifts!)
We hope that readers are enjoying this holiday season, and we know that favorite Virginia wines are being poured. It is not too late to visit these Virginia wineries before Christmas, but time is running out. If you do plan to make a visit, mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you.
More Hitmakers From Virginia
I recently posted about Virginia wines earning solid scores from Wine Spectator magazine, and I can report that Wine Enthusiast has likewise given impressive scores to several Virginia red wines. Annefield Vineyards, Bogati Bodega Winery, Keswick Vineyards, Lovingston Winery, Potomac Point Vineyard and Winery, and Veramar Vineyard produced the wines that are featured in this month’s issue.
Potomac Point 2009 Richland Reserve Heritage Bordeaux-style Red Blend (Virginia)-Pungent dark char amidst firm black plum on this Virginia Bordeaux blend brings to mind flavors of smoked meats and strong black coffee. Full bodied and masculine in profile, it’s quite tannic, yet concentrated enough to handle it well. — A.I. (12/1/2011) — 86
Veramar 2009 Estate Club Merlot (Virginia)-Warm and spicy on the nose and palate, this Virginia Merlot boasts a sour cherry aroma combined with hints of gingersnap cookie and ripe bramble. Ample and rich with slightly stewed black fruit notes, the palate is bathed in waves of anise and cinnamon that linger on the finish. — A.I. (12/1/2011) — 86
Veramar 2009 Estate Club Ameritage Red Blend (Virginia)-While soft and ripe on the nose and palate with loads of soft red fruit and hints of mocha and milk chocolate, this Virginia Ameritage doesn’t have a lot of structure, but its smooth, warm style is still eager to please. — A.I. (12/1/2011) — 86
Veramar 2008 Estate Club Cabernet Sauvignon (Virginia)-Ripe and rich on the nose with a harmonious black fruit and sweet vanilla bean aroma, this Virginia Cab is clean and pure with a remarkably pristine fruit profile. Bright and fresh with balanced acidity and a nicely concentrated midpalate. — A.I. (12/1/2011) — 86
Annefield Vineyards 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon (Virginia)-Aromas of espresso and burnt biscotti entice on this dark yet elegant Cab. On the palate, fresh violets linger amidst layers of ripe black fruit, smoke and char towards a stout, moderately tannic finish. Quite pleasant now, but could improve with 3–5 years of bottle aging. — A.I. (12/1/2011) — 87
Bogati 2009 Collection I Bordeaux-style Red Blend (Virginia)-Sweet red cherry fruit melds with whiffs of graham cracker crumb and leather on this ripe, full bodied red from Bogati. There’s a thin vein of green that trails throughout, but the palate is nicely structured with a dose of warm pepper notes and mouthcoating tannins on the finish. — A.I. (12/1/2011) — 86
Lovingston 2008 Josie’s Knoll Estate Reserve Bordeaux-style Red Blend (Monticello)-Lush, ripe blueberries and plums meld into hints of dark chocolate and lavender on Lovingston Estate’s lovely Josie’s Knoll Estate Reserve. It seems a bit soft on entry, yet bright acidity and smooth, furry tannins give the black fruit palate substance and style. — A.I. (12/1/2011) — 89
Keswick Vineyards 2009 Merlot (Monticello)-Hints of anise, black pepper and toasted coconut make this dark, smoky Merlot a bit exotic and unexpected. Full-bodied with a concentrated yet vibrant black fruit palate, it ends with flair on a rather tropical coconut finish. — A.I. (12/1/2011) — 87
Lovingston 2008 Josie’s Knoll Merlot (Monticello)-Intensely aromatic with notes of sweet pomegranate and fresh violets, Lovingston’s standard label Josie’s Knoll is soft and a tad sweet on entry with a ripe black cherry juice note. Hints of fresh herbs on the midpalate combine with grippy tannins on the finish, adding a dose of style and structure. — A.I. (12/1/2011) — 86
Do non-believers in Virginia wines ever challenge you to prove that the state makes great wines? Don’t suffer through the experience. Tell them to read some of the industry magazines, or even better, refer them to Virginia Wine Time. They just need to be educated on the matter.
Visit the outstanding wineries that are mentioned in this post, and be sure to mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you!
Sweely Estate Open House
Click on the image to see the full invitation.
Holiday Open House
On Sunday we went to the Gray Ghost Holiday Open house. They hold this event annually and we try not to miss it. Each year they have a different holiday glass design. This year its a penguin. They also have a yearly cork contest. Al makes some holiday item out of corks and you need to guess how many corks it took to make the item. This year Al made a holiday mail box for letters to Santa. Warren and I guess every year but never win. We aren’t the best at guessing. At this time of the year the tank room is decorated for the holidays showing all the previous creations for the cork contest.
During the event we enjoyed some wonderful foods and all the delicious wines offered at Gray Ghost. I favored the Merlot this year and Warren decided his favorite of the day was the new Reserve Chardonnay. He has always been a big fan of the Reserve Chardonnay.
Here are some pictures from the Holiday Open House at Gray Ghost:
