Archive for the ‘Meritage’ Category
I hope everybody had a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend filled with friends, family, cookouts, and good wine. On Saturday my wife and I decided to jump on the Virginia Wine Trail and hit a few vineyards – some we had been to before and others we hadn’t visited yet. Four vineyards, several bottles, and a wine club membership later and we lived to tell the tale, and now I get to share it with you.
- A shot from outside White Hall Vineyards
We started out our tasting at White Hall, partly because of the area we were looking to go tasting in, they were the first one open, but also because I we hadn’t actually been out to the tasting room in many years. On the Saturday morning we stopped in they were pouring 9 different wines and my wife and I were happy to sample them all.
We started out with two Chardonnays, the 2008 Chardonnay ($15) and the 2008 Chardonnay Reserve ($24). The stainless steel Chardonnay featured all the usual citrus and pear notes I would have expected, but had a smoother finish than I anticipated, though certainly not “oaky”. The 2008 Reserve featured a bit of oaky nuttiness on the nose and while it had the “oaked” finish I would expect, it was subtle and even my wife, who doesn’t usually care for oaked Chardonnay, preferred it to the stainless steel.
It’s Virginia Wine Expo time, and before I attended the 2011 Virginia Wine Expo (thoughts to come later), I had the change to taste the gold medal winning wines that were vying for the 2011 Governor’s Cup for red wine. Those wines were:
- 2008 Hiddencroft Vineyards Cabernet Franc
- 2008 Fox Meadow Vineyards Le Renard Rouge
- 2008 Cooper Vineyards Norton Reserve
- 2009 Keswick Vineyards Cabernet Franc
- 2009 Afton Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve
- 2008 Barboursville Vineyards Petit Verdot Reserve Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Meritage (58% Merlot; 40% Cabernet Franc; 2% Petit Verdot)
Region: Virginia – Charlottesville – USA
Cost: $10
Light to medium red color in the glass, with aromas of cherry and crushed berries. Flavors of cherry and fresh berry with a hint of pepper on the finish. Pairs well with grilled or roasted chicken and prime rib.
Recommendations: It’s been raining for three days here in Virginia, at least in my part of it, and nothing makes me want to drink some good red wine quite like a dreary rainy day. Because of that, last night my wife and I opened up a bottle of the 2005 Blenheim Vineyards Meritage. I’d picked this one up during our March trip through Virginia wine country, and with a dinner of some chicken out of the oven and orzo pasta it just sounded right.
It would have been right with anything. If you haven’t guessed already, Blenheim is hands down one of my favorite vineyards, both in and out of Virginia. Wines like this are the reason. The blend of Merlot, Cab Franc, and Petit Verdot gave a great wine that was full of fruit, but had just a hint of pepper on the end that was tempered by the Petit Verdot. Cherry and raspberry flavors were smooth, and the wine was light in the mouth. Read the rest of this entry »
So this past weekend my wife and I decided to take a mini-vacation to get out of the house and spend a few days in Virginia wine country. A number of vineyards and a case and a half of wine later and we returned home to return to our 9-5 jobs. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t share the highlights of our trip.
Our first stop was Keswick Vineyards, and while I have nothing but good things to say about all of their wines, I do have to recommend their 2008 Consensus. Each year, Keswick brings in the members of their wine club and they spend a day mixing wine that was either left over, wasn’t what Keswick was looking for, or that they didn’t get enough yield from to have a single varietal.
After spending the day mixing and breaking for food, the members all come back and taste each of the wines that has been made, voting on the best one, which Keswick then releases as their Consensus. Because of that, each year the wine is different and this years blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Chambourcin (28%), and Petite Verdot (12%) is enough to make me want to join their wine club.
Dark cherry flavors mix well with a finish that is smooth thanks to the Petite Verdot, and yet gives you the hit in the back of the mouth that you would expect from a good Cabernet Sauvignon. A great wine worth picking up. Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Meritage (Merlot; Cabernet Sauvignon; Petit Verdot)
Region: California – USA
Cost: $22
Deeply colored and full bodied. Blackberry, cassis, and jammy red fruit flavors pair well with a variety of foods such as lamb chops, chicken marsala, Osso Bucco, steaks, pork, BBQ, or day old meat loaf.
Recommendations: First of all, I want to clear something up. It’s Meritage (as in “heritage”)…at the Virginia Wine Expo two weeks ago, where there were several Meritages, this became a topic of debate at several tasting tables. Ok…now on to the review.
The Surfrider Red is good. The alcohol on the nose did give way as the wine opened up more into aromas of fruit and cherry, and the red fruit flavor finished with a combination of bold tannins and earthiness that I rather enjoyed, especially since the alcohol that was on the nose didn’t come through on the palate.
Paired with a dinner of grilled BBQ chicken and some mixed veggies, the full-bodied, earthy flavor of the wine did a great job of enhancing the natural smokiness of the food without overwhelming the chicken or being overwhelmed by it. It did what wine is supposed to do – complimented the meal.
While this wine certainly isn’t life-altering in any way, it was very enjoyable both with the meal and after, and was perfect with the BBQ – something that I feel will be a bigger issue as the weather begins to warm. For those getting ready to start grilling, the Surfrider is definitely one to consider.
Special thanks to the International Wine of the Month Club for providing the wine for this review.
Well, the 3rd Annual Virginia Wine Expo has come and gone. I found some new vineyards and visited some old favorites. Here’s the long and short of my experience.
Athena Vineyards (http://www.athenavineyards.com)
Athena Vineyards is worth going to just to check out their unique bottle designs. Owned by former nurses, Athena Vineyards offers a great deck wine in their Lighthouse White and a nice Meritage with a good pepper finish.
Potomac Point Winery (http://www.potomacpointwinery.com)
I’ll be the first to admit that I went to Potomac Point just to pick up a few bottles of their La Belle Vie 2008 for when the weather turns warm. This year they’ve introduced a La Belle Vie Rose that was enjoyable, but not as good as the original. Read the rest of this entry »
