Gray Ghost Cabernet Vertical

On Saturday evening we went to Gray Ghost Vineyards to attend the Vertical Cabernet Sauvignon tasting. This is a black tie optional event for a limited number of guest who get to taste vintages of their Cabernet Sauvignons from odd number years back to 1993.

We saw some familiar faces at the event. And of course it’s always fun to catch up with Al, Cheryl, and Amy with the latest news at Gray Ghost. Al had selected Cabernet Sauvignons from 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2011. With the wines Cheryl had prepared many dishes that paired nicely with the wines. The chicken and pasta with red sauce was one of my favorites as were the meat balls. During the evening we had a chance to talk about each vintage and compare notes with other participants. We all had our favorites but it seems the years ending in 5s and 7s received must of the chatter. The evening ended with a delicious slice of double chocolate cake and a glass of the 2010 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Everyone enjoyed this vintage!

If you haven’t attended one of the tasting events at Gray Ghost Vineyards, check out their events page and find one you might enjoy. And when you attend, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!
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Wine and Chocolates

Gray Ghost Vineyards was planning their big yearly Irresistible Chocolates and Cabernet event for Valentine’s weekend but a big snow storm was threatening to cancel it. They decided to move it to the next weekend. However, the snow didn’t last as long as expected so they had a special chocolates weekend on Valentine’s weekend instead. We decided we’d go to enjoy the chocolates and get this year’s Valentine glass. After a tasting of the current lineup of wines we each decided to enjoy a glass of the Ranger Reserve with our plate of chocolates.
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After our delicious adventure at Gray Ghost, we decided to stop at Unicorn Winery on the way home and check out the latest releases. We were so lucky to have owner Sandy Lepage conduct our tasting! We haven’t seen her in a long time. It was good to catch up and taste the new wines.
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Our favorite white was the Vicenza Gold. It’s a blend of chardonel and seyval. We noted pear and citrus and crisp edge. It made us think of the spring weather! Our favorite red was the 2010 Meritage. It’s a blend of 20% Cabernet Franc, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 40% Merlot. We noted ripe berry fruit and smooth tannins.
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If you haven’t been to Gray Ghost Vineyards or Unicorn Winery recently, plan a trip soon. And when you visit, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Gray Ghost Events

We attend many of the Gray Ghost Vineyards events all throughout the year. In the last month or so we’ve attend three of those events. Here is a short recap of those events.

On November 3rd we attended the Wine Library Tasting. The Wine Library Tasting is a chance to taste past vintages of some of their best wines. Since we have many of these on our wine racks, it’s a good chance to see how they are developing in the bottle. This time we had a chance to taste the:

1999 Cabernet Sauvignon
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon
2006 Cabernet Franc
2008 Merlot

Here are a couple of shots from the event.
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On November 16th we attended the Gala Release Party for the 2010 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a fun evening of great food, great friends and of course a great wine. Here are a few shots from the event.
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On December 1st we attended the Wine Library Tasting with Warren’s parents. They were in town for Thanksgiving and were able to join us in tasting the:

1993 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Gray Ghost’s Inaugural Release)
1999 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
2002 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Here are a few shots from the event.
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We always have a great time at the Gray Ghost events. If you haven’t attended one, think about it joining in the fun. And when you do, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!