Posts Tagged ‘Chambourcin’
Varietal: Blended Red Wine (72% Chambourcin; 22% Cabernet Franc; 6% Merlot)
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $18
Deep red in color with aromas of fruit notes of blackberry and jam. Flavors of bright fruit with soft tannins and slight oak and a mild smokiness. Pairs well with pastas, lighter meats, and cheeses.
Recommendations: My wife picked up this bottle a couple of months ago at the Carytown Food & Wine Festival while I was pouring for Grayhaven Winery. I was familiar with Delfosse having visited them a few times at various Virginia wine festivals, but couldn’t remember this specific wine.
The wine was a dark red in the glass, and I did get berry and fruit aromas on the nose. In the mouth I got none of the oak or smokiness described in the tasting notes, but I did get the bright fruit flavors and a touch of acidity. 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: Red Table Wine (merlot, cabernet franc, chambourcin)
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $16
Medium to Full-bodied, the Galena Creek Red from West Wind Farm Winery is a dry red featuring berry flavors that lead into a very dry finish with high levels of tannins.
Recommendation: I paired this wine with a steak, and it’s a good thing I did. The tannins on this wine give it a very dry finish that is perfect for pairing with juicy red meat such as steak or lamb, but would probably be a bit overwhelming by itself unless a very dry wine is something you like to enjoy by itself. At $16 it’s just slightly pricy for an every day red table wine, but it’s still a good value and an excellent substitute for a dry chianti to pair with a meal of pasta and meat sauce. If you’re not a fan of wines with a dry finish, this probably won’t appeal to you, but if you like a red wine that hits you in the back of the throat and isn’t shy about its tannins, this is a wine you should try to get your hands on.
Varietal: Claret (50% Merlot; 20% Touriga; 15% Cabernet Franc; 8% Chambourcin; 4% Petite Verdot; 2% Tannat; 1% Cabernet Sauvignon)
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $15
A medium-bodied wine of ruby/garnet coloring offering flavors of herb and berry, most notably raspberry. A slightly dry, tannic finish is reminscent of Chianti, but the overall smoothness of the wine allows it to be paired with a wide variety of foods.
Recommendation: My wife and I enjoyed this wine with a pair of steaks, and it was a great compliment to them. The wine didn’t overwhelm the meat, but the slightly dry finish was a great balance to the juiciness of the steaks. Even after the meal had been finished, I still enjoyed finishing the bottle by itself, a quality I find desirable in any wine I drink – being able to be enjoyed without food. What I liked best about this wine was that while the dryness on the finish worked great with juicy steaks, it wasn’t so dry as to require something like that, and would compliment a dryer meal as well. While I won’t go so far as to say that this is a substitute for Chianti if that’s where your tastes lie, this is a great blend to serve for guests when you’re not sure where their tastes lie. Definitely worth picking up, particularly at this price point.
Varietal: Red Table Wine (45% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, 18% Tannat, 8% Touriga, 7% Chambourcin)
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $13
Very simple, straight forward table wine. Lake Anna labels it as: ”No red cherries. No spicy berries. No toasty nuances. No suggestive notes.” Good for enjoying by itself or with a meal. Great value for the price.
Recommendation: I’m a big believer in the table wine, a wine that isn’t overly complex, but nice and simple that goes well with a simple meal and doesn’t cost much, and Lake Anna has been kind enough to supply us with one. The Totally Red table wine from Lake Anna is perfect for anybody looking for a bottle of wine that will go great with steak, pasta, chicken, pork, appetizers, chili….I think you get the point. As red table wines go, this definitely ranks as one of my top ranked ones, and is one that I am sure to continue to keep in my wine cellar, and that I recommend you do as well. Enjoy.
Varietal: Blended Red Table Wine – Chambourcin (55%), Cabernet Franc (15%), Pinot Noir (15%), DeChaunac (15%)
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $10
Tart, slightly fruit forward on the front end, with a peppery finish. A lot of alochol on the nose (though only 13% by volume). Very much in the style of an Italian red.
Recommendation: I really like this wine, and it’s perfect as a red table wine. There’s nothing fancy or elaborate about it, but it’s great with pasta or pizza given the dry, peppery finish to it. This wine is great for those looking for a red table wine that they can also cook with when making red sauces, and for the price you can afford to cook with it without feeling guilty about it. Perfect for those looking for a good red table wine to enjoy with a meal, but you might want to avoid this wine if you’re looking for something to enjoy by itself.
