The United Grapes of America - Massachusetts - Westport Rivers Vineyard & Winery Pinot Noir

One of the benefits of attending the annual DrinkLocalWine.com conference is the after party where attendees bring wine local to their region for all to sample. I struck out totally with four rather pour east coast Lembergers, but a pleasant surprise were two Massachusetts wines contributed by Richard Auffrey. And the producer that really caught my attention was also mentioned in the original StarChefs.com article: Westport Rivers Vineyard & Winery. Now you may ask, how can a winery in The Bay State produce quality wine? Too cold? Nope - the gulf stream provides the warmth. Soil? Don't be surprised to learn that apparently the owners, Bob and Carol Russell, found favorable soils in southern Massachusetts - "rich New England loam on well drained gravel". Add in a a family history in producing wine and you have the conditions for a nice wine. And that was just what we decided at #dlw13 - the 2010 Pinot Noir. As I recall, the wine was very smooth, more plum than cherry, with an earthy-dirty character in the mid. Very pleasant, but at $30 - be prepared to pay for local.

StarChefs.com: The United Grapes of America