Archive for the ‘Traminette’ 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.
Varietal: Blended White Wine (41% Vidal Blanc; 34% Chardonnay; 15% Traminette; 10% Viognier)
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $15.99
Slight floral notes with flavors of melon and citrus and a hint of sweetness. Pairs well with white meat, appetizers, spicy food, and hot summer days.
Recommendations: My parents live near Potomac Point Winery, so while it’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to go and visit them in person, I am fairly familiar with them and their wines. Because of that, I’m a big fan of their La Belle Vie, always keeping some on hand as the warmer months roll in as it works great as a deck wine.
The floral notes on the wine would lead you to believe there’s more Viognier in it than there is, and while there’s just a hint of sweetness, it’s countered nicely by flavors of citrus and a touch of melon. The wife and I paired this bottle with a dinner of pork chops from the oven, some corn, and a pasta side, but really the ideal pairing for this wine would be either a cheese and meat platter on the patio or a dinner of good Thai food. Read the rest of this entry »
