Currently Drinking....

We haven't toured any wineries or breweries lately; instead, we've been clearing out our wine cellar. That means, drinking wine that we have purchased over the years and determining why we purchased it in the first place. Many were from our travels in Virginia. We had two bottles left from our friends at Corcoran Vineyards, their Viognier and Malbec. Both superb. In addition, there was Petit Verdot Veritas Vineyards and Jefferson Vineyards and White Hall Vineyards Petit Manseng from our Monticello WineTrail tour last year. We would purchase each again - no doubt - Petit Verdot is destined for Virginia's vineyards. We also had on hand the Valhalla Vineyards Alicante Bouschet. This grape is normally used in a blend in order to add color, but this winery choose to make a 100% varietal. And initially, we felt this was a poor decision - there didn't appear to be much flavor. But by the second day - the wine had breathed enough to come out of its shell - it turned into a decent wine - slightly spicy - similar to a Shiraz. In total - nice, but we prefer others. The last Virginia wine was a surprise, the Hill Top Berry Farm & Winery Perry- 75% Pear wine and 25% Mead. We were expecting an overly sweet dessert wine - but its actually made dry. The pear flavors take precedence with just a slight honey finish.

Of course we had to bleed through our Norton collection and found an abundance from Mount Pleasant Winery and Stone Hill Winery. These two Missouri wineries have mastered the art of eliminating the grape's inherent acidity and grapey flavor. The Mount Pleasant version was aged slightly longer so is a bit spicier and oak - but for Norton wines - these are perhaps the most consistent.

While traveling to Seven Springs we usually visit Glades Pike Winery - so there were several samples available. The Baco Noir was not very impressive and we are not sure what instigated the decision to purchase. The Diamond was good - we had to be in a sweeter mood - but this is perhaps the most drinkable labrusca grape. We also opened a bottle of their Mountain Mead - and although a little sweet - is a good honey wine. I also blended with Apple Jack made in North Garden for an interesting concoction - talking about keeping warm.

Finally we found a two wines that we should have bothered aging - we must have forgotten about them, but these wines are made to drink now: Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red Lot #44 and Gnarly Head Zinfandel. Sonoma's, Marietta Cellars wines are usually excellent and the Old Vine Red is an affordable everyday wine. The same holds for the Gnarly - there are others that have a better pedigree - but for the price - this is our Zin.

White Hall Vineyards

Our final stop on the first day on the Monticello Wine Trail was White Hall Vineyards, home to one of our favorite Virginia wines, their Petit Manseng. This wine has been a staple in our wine cellar after finding it in the discounted wine box at Norm's Beer & Wine. Evidently someone had ordered a case and failed to pick it up. And we capitalized on that mistake. In the following year, the wine was awarded the Governor's Cup for the most outstanding wine in the state.

White Hall is located at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, about 13 miles east of Charlottesville. Tony and Edie Champ opened the winery after years of venturing out to California's wine country and wanting to do the same on the east coast. They settled on Albermnarle County and planted the estate vineyards in 1992 starting with with 6 acres of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. More varieties were added later including Viognier, Petit Verdot and Petit Manseng. By the way, the Champs were incredibly gracious hosts, having to endure a tour of slightly inebriated guests. Walking into the tasting room felt like walking into the a trophy shop. Their were medals from Virginia, California; pictures with Governors; trophy cups - a complete hall of fame. The Champs have done well over the years. The have also chosen a completely different business strategy than the previous wineries we visited that day. Instead of selling wine strictly through the tasting room and utilizing weddings and events - White Hall sells about 85% of their inventory at retail outlets. As a result- the tasting bar is small - and there was a steady flow of only a handful of visitors during our stay.

White hall produces a large portfolio of wines - in different styles so that any visitor should find something to their liking. For whites we started with Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, two vintages of Gewurztraminer, the fore mentioned Petit Manseng, and Viognier. The first vintage of Gewurztraminer was drier than the second - and a nice alternative to the usual semi-dry style. The Petit Manseng was acidic and refreshing - not as fruity as the previous year - but nevertheless a good wine. We also learned that Viognier should be warmed at room temperature - since this wine if served too cold - loses its aroma. After cupping the glass in our hands - the aroma and apricot flavors appeared. Another good Virginia Viognier.


At this point our hosts guided on a tour of their production facilities, starting at the crush pad, through the fermenting and aging tanks, and the barrel room. We tasted muscat aging stainless steel and learned that this wine is added to the Pinot Gris, Petit Manseng, and Viognier to enhance the aroma. In the barrel room we sampled aging Merlot and Petit Verdot - showing their will be a good 2008 vintage. Back at the tasting bar we finished with their reds - starting with a lighter bodied Cabernet Franc event though it was aged in oak for 10 months. There followed a Syrah and our two favorite wines of the visit, the Touriga and Cuvee des Champs. The first is 100% Touriga Nacional which was fermented in small bins and then aerated using the Delestage method. The juice is then aged for ten months in French and American oak - producing a very good wine. The Cuvee des Champs is a Bordeaux styled blend using the 5 classic varieties and then aged 18 months in oak. This is a big wine - full of flavor - and a smooth tail.

We finished the day with Edichi, their port styled wine made from Touriga, Petit Verdot, and Tannat and named after our host - Mrs. Edith Champ. This is a much lighter dessert wine than the standard port - lower in alcohol and sugar. I can envision some patrons purchasing this wine for regular consumption - not just for dessert. By this time - we were done - tired - physically and of wine. Where's a beer. Fortunately we had chartered a bus - there's really no other alternative after such a day. We want to thank the Champs, the Kings, and Ms. Pelton for an awesome day.

Monticello Wine Trail Tour 2009

Last month, at a weekly wine tasting, several of us discussed the various wine regions in Virginia and which, as a region, were producing the finest wines in the state. We concluded that perhaps the Monticello area was sovereign, and to prove our hypothesis we planned a visit to the region. Our excursion was organized by Jim and Lori Corcoran - the proprietors and winemaker from Loudoun County's Corcoran Vineyards. The Corcorans make some of the best Cabernet Franc and Viognier in Loudoun County and they were looking forward to an exchange of ideas with other winemakers. Our party also consisted of other experienced wine professionals including Mary Watson-Delauder, a sommelier who graces the current cover of the Virginia Wine Lover Magazine; her husband Rick Delauder of Australia's Ballast Stone Estate Wines; wine writer Dezel Quillen from My Virginia Vine Spot; Michael Ching, a partner at The Winery of LaGrange; and a few other wine connoisseurs. Our destination was several of the top wineries surrounding Charlottesville: Veritas Vineyards, King Family Vineyards, White Hall Vineyards, Blenheim Vineyards, Jefferson Vineyards, and Keswick Vineyards.

In the upcoming weeks look for separate articles on each winery, but we have several general conclusions we'd like to share. Overall, our initial hypotheses was not validated. Whereas we did sample some tremendous wines, there was enough doubt among us to conclude that many wineries in northern Virginia make comparable wines. Instead, the trip exposed the potential in Virginia wines and introduced us to a new generation of young winemakers who are striving to produce world class wines. In most cases, the wine making was conducted by a young, educated winemaker - we are talking about winemakers in their 20s and 30s - who have both the experience and geographic background to add value to their products. At Veritas Vineyards, Emily Pelton has taken over the daily wine making chores from her father Andrew Hodson and is producing over a dozen still and sparkling wines that were first class. Kirsty Harmon (Blenheim Vineyards) is beginning to inject her experience working with Gabriele Rausse and in France and New Zealand to enhance the winery's portfolio. The same holds true for Stephen Barnard (Keswick Vineyards) who uses many techniques that he learned in his native South Africa to produce excellent wines. And Andy Reagan (Jefferson Vineyards) uses his background at several mid-Atlantic wineries to produce a portfolio of great Bordeaux-styled wines. Matthieu Finot, from King Family Vineyards, was not able to meet with us, but his credentials include working in his native France, as well as in Italy and South Africa. The future is definitely bright at these wineries. In addition, the quality in the wines made by the female winemakers lead many in our party to suggest that, in general, females are better winemakers than men. That's another interesting hypothesis we can discuss at a later date.




More importantly we saw the direction where these wineries want to lead Virginia in terms of wine grapes. In the past, many Virginia wineries have gambled on different varieties, hoping that they would elevate Virginia in the wine market. Some thought Norton, others Chardonnay. In the past few years many wineries thought Cabernet Franc. And over the weekend we tasted several excellent versions of this wine. Virginia wineries make excellent Cabernet Franc - but are they world class wines? We also discovered several excellent Merlot wines and learned from David King that it grows rather consistently from year to year in the state. Normally not pleased with Virginia grown Cabernet Sauvignon, we tasted a fabulous version aging in the barrel at Blenheim. We also sampled good Touriga and Petit Mensing at White Hall and Sauvignon Blanc at Veritas Vineyards. But, as good as all these wines tasted, two grapes clearly stood out, and we believe that these grapes have the best potential to elevate Virginia wines to world class status. We are referring to Viognier and Petit Verdot. The first is not surprising since many wineries have been producing excellent Viognier over the past decade. Interesting, this ancient grape was recently threatened with extinction for as late as 1965 there was only eight acres planted in Northern Rhône. Considering the history of the grape (it migrated to the Rhône region with the Romans) and how well it has rebounded, that would have been tragic. Particularly since it also produces excellent wines. Each winery we visited had a superb Viognier wine - regardless of style - that would hold their own against California and Rhône produced varietals. As for Petit Verdot, this grape is normally used in Bordeaux blends and is a relative newcomer in the state, yet almost each winery we visited choose to vinify it. And as a 100% varietal. The winemakers recognize the potential in the grape and believe that is very suitable for their climate. And in each instance, the wines were fabulous; full bodied with depth and tannins worthy for further aging. We have seen the future for Virginia....and its not Cabernet Franc, or Norton.

Finally, we listened to fabulous discussions on wine making. Stephen Barnard stressed how managing the vineyard was the single most important factor in making good wines. And in a later email exchange, Matthieu Finot reiterated that point. At Veritas Vineyards we tasted how the juice from the same grapes picked from the same lot produce different wine depending on when they were picked. At Blenheim Vineyards and Veritas Vineyards we compared the fruitiness of free run juice against more tannic juice from grapes pressed once or twice. We discussed blending, yeast, malolatic fermentation, racking, and several other principles involved in making wine. And we talked screw caps. Some wine makers wanted to convert their entire portfolio to this closure device in order to eliminate the cork taint caused by TCA, others only the whites. Nevertheless, all hesitate since the general public still associates screw caps with cheap wines. But they expect to release more wines closed with screw caps - at least white wines; but until the public's perception changes - keep the corkscrew handy.

This was the type of trip that every wine consumer should experience. Although we did get special access due to the Corcoran's association with the wineries, the average taster can plan a similar venture. Many wineries hold wine classes that explain their wines and are usually taught by the winery's winemaker. In other instances the winemaker assists in the tasting room, providing an excellent opportunity for interaction. Research before you travel - start at wine-compass.com, find wineries and events in your destination and drill into the winery's website. Contact the winery directly, the information is available; it just takes planning. Next up, Veritas Vineyards.