When it was announced that it would make its trimphumpant return, I re though my original plans for Wine Blogging Wednesday. With the revitalization, I decided to expand my palate and look to chalange myself and my readers with going global.  Thinking off the Island and outside the box.

When “Rhones Not From The Rhône.” was announced I knew that this would be a challenge since I am not to familiar with Rhône wines — to find them elseware was even more of a challenge.  Here was our assignment:

The theme for WBW 71 is, “Rhones Not From The Rhône.” Pick any wine made from a variety best known in The Rhône but not made in that famous French region. It doesn’t matter if the wine is white, pink or red; still, sparkling or fortified. Whatever you choose just needs to be made from primarily a Rhone grape and come from a region not in France. This opens up a lot of possibilities. Want to stay Old World? Check out Spain where Mourvèdre goes by the local name Monastrell. New World more your bag? Pick up a Roussanne, Marsanne or a blend from California or Australia. I even hear they are making some pretty decent Viognier in Virginia these days so finding a wine should be pretty easy wherever you call home.

The Rhône wine region consists of two major regions, Northern Rhône and Southern Rhône.  The northern sub-region is know for making wines the Syrah grape, sometimes blended with white wine grapes, and white wines from Viognier grapes. The southern sub-region makes array of red, white and rosé wines, often blends of several grapes such as the famous Châteauneuf-du-Pape region, which is in Southern Rhône.

Sure, I could have done Syrah, what I like from the Rhône. Or I could have done Mourvèdre, but I had that for another Wine Blogging Wednesday.  I could have gone with Viognier, and I could have had some from Long Island, but I have had Viognier before and I really wanted to keep off Long Island.  Long Island and Viognier would have been a last resort.

While looking up Rhône varieties, one jumped out off the page.  I had one in my cellar.  Roussanne!  I knew it was from outside the Rhône since it was part of our Cellar Club shipments from Sterling Vineyards in California (we joined their club when we were honeymoon in Napa & Sonoma in 2008).  But what was this Roussanne? I knew I had never had one before.

Roussanne get’s its name from the russet or roux color of the grape skin.  This and Viognier are the only two white grape varieties allowed in Rhône. It is a very difficult variety to grow; it is susceptible to downy mildew and irregular yields.  It has been almost forgotten about.  There are still a few that produce it, but it does usually get blended.  It is rare to see it in a single varietal.

In the late 1990′s there was a huge increase of Roussanne plantings in Central California and according to my research, one of the Rhône Rangers, Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyards is partly the reason for its popularity in California.  There was some controversy with the Roussanne that was planted, in the late 1990′s it was revealed that the Roussanne that Randall Grahm “acquired” from France, after DNA analysis was in fact Vioginer.  Randall Grahm disputed that fact and law suits followed.  You can read about the escapades in an article by Jancis Robinson and here from Tablas Creek Journal.  That being said, from what I was able to find out, Sterling Vineyards no longer produces a Roussanne.

About the wine, after harvest, the wine was pressed and cold settled for two nights.  Older French oak barrels were used for fermenting and aging.  The wine was stirred on the lees regularly and keep until it was bottled.

On the nose I was picking up a floral note with hits of almond, peach , apricot and nectarine.  Honeysuckle and jasmine tea aromas filled the glass as the wine came closer to room temperature.  When I had the wine colder, notes of crushed stone and grapefruit citrus with subtle hints of ginger and green tea.

On the palate there was loads of tropical fruit with an oily viscus mouth feel.  Secondary notes of apple, pear and spice led to a creamy lime like feeling.  There was some heat with the wine.  It is listed at 15.1% ABV, but the alcohol and the acidity was well integrated and despite the oak aging, it still showed ripe fruit flavors.

I liked this wine served chilled, despite the fact that it was recommended to serve a little colder than room temperature.  I enjoyed the acidity, tropical fruit and spice notes of it.  Picture Ripe pineapple drizzled with honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon with a some lime foam.

Closer to room temperature I found the 15.1% abv a little too much for my delicate palate.

This was my first Roussanne and it won’t be my last.  I am glad I did not choose a Viognier from Long Island or a Monstrell from Spain.

A big thanks to Tim Elliot of Winecast for hosting and to Lenn Thompson from The New York Cork Report for starting Wine Blogging Wednesday many moons ago.

Melissa and I at Sterling Vineyards.

Sláinte!

I have had some experience with Virginia Wine, last year during a family reunion I visited New Kent Winery and Williamsburg Winery. 

Lenn Thompson from The New York Cork Report was on the panel of tasters.  Due to a scheduling snafu, he is unable to participate and I was asked to fill in.  I have been warming up in the bullpen or taking extra swings at batting practice, so I am ready and glad to help out and taste some Virginia Wine.

Dezel Quillen from My Vine Spot is leading the tasting tonight.  This event is brought to us with thanks to the Virginia Wine Board as part of its month long event Virginia Wine Month. 

Here is a list of the wines we will be tasting tonight:

• 2007 SP Rose from Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard
• 2009 Gewurztraminer from Afton Mountain Vineyards
• 2009 Chardonnay Reserve from Jefferson Vineyards
• 2009 Viognier from Keswick Vineyards
• 2009 Seven Oaks Merlot from Blenheim Vineyards
• 2008 Wooloomooloo from Mountfair Vineyards

On Dezel’s blog he brings you some background and information about the vineyards we will be tasting from.  You can read more about it here:  Taste Live meets Thomas Jefferson’s Backyard. 

I am looking forward to tonight, especially tasting the 2009 Seven Oaks from Blenheim Vineyards.  Blenheim is owned by the lead singer from my favorite band, who we will see at Nassau Coliseum next Wednesday.  And if you were not sure who I was talking about, it would be Dave Matthews of the Dave Matthews band.  Betcha cant guess what I will be listening to during the tasting .

A recap and review of these wines will be up on the blog soon after the event tonight.

Sláinte!

This time this happens to be my favorite white varietal, Gewürztraminer.

Last time I did not take notes and I gave up on tweeting, due to the host winery, Shinn Estate Vineyards, preparing a wonderful meal to so along with the very nice Pinot Noir’s we tasted through.  

This time, I will focus more on the wine and you can expect a post about it.

This time, just like the Bubbly in February, you can purchase the TasteLive pack and follow along with me and the rest of the country.

The wineries that are participating are:

• Keuka Spring Vineyards 2008 Gewürztraminer
• Lakewood Vineyards 2007 Gewürztraminer
• Red Newt Cellars 2007 Sawmill Creek Vineyards Gewürztraminer
• Sheldrake Point Vineyards 2008 Gewürztraminer

So, make sure you order the pack, or just open up your favorite Gewürztraminer and follow along on Twitter with the hastag #flxwine

Chateau Ste. Michelle is located in Columbia County in Washington State.  This wine is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Syrah.  It was aged for 18-20 months in new American and French oak barrels.

In the glass, I was getting some nice blackberry and blueberry aroma.  There was a hint of some cranberry.

On the palate, there was some blackberry and black cherry.  There were some very nice soft tannins than let this Cabernet be a very fruit forward wine.  Just what I like, good balance between the tannins and the fruit.

As the wine continued to sit in my glass, I was getting the slightest vanilla bean, with some leather and tobacco aroma.

This Cabernet Sauvignon is a medium to full body wine.  It is perfect to drink just by itself.  I chose to have it with a London broil Tuscan style, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon.

This is a good value at $18.00 a bottle, you can bring this to your next dinner party, and no one will be disappointed.

Upon opening, there is virtually no fruit, maybe a little blackberry, it is earthy and smoky.  The taste was just the same.  I knew that this may need some time to open.

After a little while, started to get more aroma of wet soil.  The taste was some tobacco.  There was no evidence of fruit, at all.

It does have a smooth finish.  It is a light to medium-bodied wine.  Subtle tannis and it is a clean and dry at the end.

I did not care for this wine but at $15.00, on sale for $11.00 it is a good value if you do not like fruit in your Merlot.  I do like fruit in my Merlot,so this is not for me.  This is the perfect Merlot for my brother, Matt.

This wine is not listed on Vineyard 48′s web page, and they do have other vintages in there tasting room.  I will have to go out and see if this is a trend or just happens to an off year.  I am hoping that this was an off year.

First a little history about Yellow + Blue, from their website.  They are 100% certified organic estate grown fruit.  They do every thing by hand.  They are also interested in removing as much of their carbon footprint as possible.  That further explains their packaging.  The box is a Tetra Pac, there is six layers of paper board, aluminum foil and plastic that bind together to protect the wine from air and light.  Another thing, Yellow + Blue get their name from what Yellow + Blue equal, Green, which is what they are all about.

According to Yellow+Blue, the packaging is useful and positive not only for removing their carbon footprint but it helps in their transportation on their wine.  In all cases of wine, there is  a 50/50 split between wine and packaging.  A case of wine weights about 40 pounds and hold 9 liters of wine.  Now a case of Yellow + Blue weighs 26 pounds and hold 12 liters of wine.  That’s 95% wine and 5 % packaging.

Enough about their packaging and what they are about, you can read more on their web site (I don’t want to become repetitive).  On to the tasting.  Upon twisting the cap and the first pour, there were wonderful aromas of prune, plum, cherry, some spice and leather I got a little toffee on the nose.  On the palate it was tannic and there was way too much alcohol.  I did not get any fruit.  This, of course was do to the wine not open long enough to aerate.

About an hour later, there were more of the same aromas, but then the fruit started to show.  The tannins were much softer, there were some ripe berry and some grilled fig with nice plum flavors.  This finish was nice, with a medium bodied feel.  There was a nice spice finish that lingered and was very pleasant.

I had this wine with a grilled skirt steak and a spinach salad.  It went perfectly.  There was such a compliment and balance between the wine and meal.  Following the dinner, the wine was still getting better.

This is 100% Malbec grape.  They are hand harvested.  A 12 hour maceration is performed before fermentation.  The wine is fermented in a temperature controlled tank with indigenous yeast.  Additional settling and aging is done in tank and it is filtered, slightly, before they bottle.  It does not mention if this wine was in an oak barrel, so I assume no.

According to wine writer Tyler Coleman, aka Dr. Vino, ““Unlike most box wines that have little to distinguish them other than the packaging, this wine has good poise and intensity with berry, plum and herbal freshness. Because it’s a third more than a regular bottle, this is a crazy-good value.”

The only down fall to the tasting was my toung  getting a bit numb.  But I would recommend this Malbec to anyone new or old to malbec.  I love a good malbec and this is a good malbec, not only because of the price ($13.95 at wine shop).  There is no romance in this “bottle”, no sexiness either, but it has lots of flavor and a nice personality.   I would consider bringing this to my friends house for dinner and watching their reaction.  Yellow + Blue = Green for 2 reasons, one for the environment and the other because you will see more in your pocket.

We decided to take the Tour and Tasting.  The price was nice at $ 8.00 per person.  It started with a video, which we missed.  Then we had a tour of the winery.  We started in their entertaining room, Wessex Hall. It has a 18 century feel, with iron chandeliers, old wood and Spanish body armor statues.  They use this room for entertaining and weddings.  My wife said that when she gets married again, this is the place.

We then went on to the barrel room in the cellar.  The room is kept at a temperature of 55 to 60 degrees and a humidity level of 80%.  There were alot of barrels there and the room had a wonderful aroma of wood.  They mainly use American oak, but a good amount is in french oak.

We then went on to the production area.  There were able to watch them bottle their Dry Riesling. We saw them rock and label and seal the bottles.  This was very entertaining for those on the tour who never saw this before.

We then walked through the museum which houses bottles from the colonial days that were recovered from the area and some vintage bottles that the owner, the Duffeler family has acquired over the years.  The highlight of this part was to see an actual part of the cork tree.  They use all natural corks from such tree.  We then also saw the stainless steel tanks that they use to ferment their white wine.

Next we went on to the tasting.  This is where I was disappointed.  First the pourings were about a half of a jigger…they had liquor bottle pourer on all the wine and our guide did not give a full pour.

We tasted seven wines, one of them was a reserve wine.  The wine’s I liked were the following:

Samuel Argall Dry Riesling 2007: this wine is only sold in Virginia.  This was the first wine we tried and liked alot.  On the nose, some granny smith apple and lemon.  On the palate it was very crisp, lip smacking crisp and very dry.  This was a favorite of mine and my mom.

The Williamsburg Winery Acte12 Chardonnay 2006: This Chardonnay is aged and fermented in French Oak.  Now I don’t like Chardonnay aged this way, but this is French Style and it was well done, not to oaky.   On the nose it was fruit foward, it had a slight toasty aroma, but the fruit came through.  On the palate, it all fruit.  The Chardonnay fruit was all there.  Some apple and peach were there and the finish was just buttery enough.  This Chardonnay was named one of the worlds best by Decanter Magazine.

Barrel Aged Claret: This is a Bordeaux style blend made of 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 5% Syrah.  It has wonderful red berry aroma and some cherry was there.  On the palate it was a little smoky and peppery.  It is medium to light body wine that has a nice clean finish.  I would consider this wine for my wine cellar.  This one I wish I had more of a tasting.

My overall impression with Williamsburg Winery is this, it was missing something and more of a pour was it.  I also found it interesting that they only have 30 of the 50 acres planted with grapes.  They do obtain grapes from other parts of America, like Washington, California, Virgina and New York if they are looking for a certian grape.  I feel that they could be more of a grower than a maker, they have the land for it.  It appears to me that they are more focused on making wine than growing wine.  I understand that sometimes winemakers need to get grapes from other vineyards, but there is just something about farming you own fruit and producing your own product from your own back yard that makes that wine extra special.  You can taste it.

The next time I am in Williamsburg, VA, I will take advantage of their Reserve Tour.  This is a $30 tour, which according to there website, “are available by appointment only in our private wine cellar. You will sample and compare some of the reserve wines produced at the winery with selected vintages from our library collection. A country sampler of assorted cheese and crackers will complement your personalized tasting and you will take home an oversized etched reserve wine glass to remember your tasting.”

New Kent Winery is a new winery located off I-64 almost directly between Williamsburg and Richmond, Virginia.  When we arrived, we were impressed right away.  The view and the setting was beautiful.  It was a hot, humid and sunny, typical Virginian weather.

We decided to take the tour and tasting, not a bad deal for $7.00.  We had a 20-minute tour and then a tasting of seven wines, one that was just released.

Since this is not going to be my normal tasting, I will report on what we saw and tasted.

The grapes were planted in 2001 and they have 20 something acres of grapes.  There is a plan for a total of 50+ acres of grapes.  Their tasting room and facility was built almost entirely of recycled materials, civil war bricks, cypress siding, shingles milled from north Florida, after being submerged for over 100 years, lots of heart-pine and floor timbers and columns from century old buildings.  The design and details go down to the small detail like the hinges and knobs on the doors that came from the Jefferson Hotel.

We had a tour of the barrel room, where they had six stainless steel vats from Europe and new American oak barrels.  It is an American winery so they use American oak.  The room is cooled with glycol piping to 55 degrees.  One interesting concept was the “Barrel Club”.  You can purchase a membership for $650.00.  It is a 3-year membership, and you get a “barrel” with your name on it.  You also get a case of wine for 3 years, of your choice.  In addition, many other offers and first for members.

Now, on to the wine.  The first wine we tasted was 2005 Chardonnay.  It is a French style Chardonnay.  It is cold fermented in stainless steel then gently aged in oak for 12 months.  On the nose, fruit elements.  On the palate, it was extremely crisp with a lot of acid, very nice acid.  I tasted a little tart, like a Granny Smith Apple.  The finish was smooth, with just a hint of butter.  My wife tasted a touch of toast.  This was a hit and a nice way to start.

The next tasting was a 2006 Reserve Chardonnay.  This was a California style Chardonnay, meaning that it was aged in oak.  They ferment and age this Chardonnay for over 3 years in premium oak barrels sur-lie, meaning on the yeast lees.  Surprisingly, it does not have that typical oaky Chardonnay aroma.  A little butter on the nose, but you do pick up hints of citrus.  The taste is a little buttery, some honey and the citrus is still there.  The finish is smooth and creamy.  It is a decent chardonnay.  My problem is the aging in the oak, you lose some of the grape, and pick up too much of the barrel.  This was not too bad, but I preferred the first Chardonnay.

Next, we tasted their non-vintage Mertiage.  This is a blended wine of three grapes, two from their estate and one from another vineyard in Virginia.  The two that they grow are Merlot and Cabernet Franc.  The other wine from outside the estate was Cabernet Sauvignon; this comes from the Shenandoah Valley.  This was a beautiful wine, well rounded and delicious.  Wonderful aroma of dark berry and cherry.  On the palate, it was a little peppery with some hints of black cherry and black berry with just the right amount of acid.  It was light body with a very nice peppery finish.  This was a very nice well-blended wine.  I would recommend this wine to anyone and could find a spot in my wine cellar.

The next wine we all tasted was their 2005 Merlot.  This is estate grown.  The nose was very earthy, some cloves and spice with a touch of leather.  The taste was tannic, it overpowered the wine.  According to my brother, there was some smoke and some musk on his palate.  It felt like I had a cotton ball in my mouth.  I was not impressed with this wine, too tannic, it needed some aromatic elements.

We then went on to the 2008 Vidal Blanc.  This wine had 2% residual sugar.  It was almost clear in color.  Had a nice honey, fruity aroma.  On the palate it continued.  Not to syrupy, light body feel.  The finish was clean.  I did enjoy this wine, it was refreshing.

Next was their NV White Norton.  This is a rose, but not your normal rose.  It does have 3% residual sugar.  It is made from the Norton grape, which is native to Virginia.  It is very close to the Merlot grape.  Thomas Jefferson used to grow the Norton grape.  When you get most Norton wine, it is usually red, not pink like this.  New Kent uses a secret to get this wine.  The grapes are cold fermented in stainless steel without the skins, this way the color does not turn red, but stays pink.  There is a heavy aroma of strawberry on the nose.  On the palate, there is a nice amount of acidity that makes it very tart, but still shows red berry flavors.  The finish is spicy, a little peppery, but it does finish clean.  I enjoyed this wine, because I never had a Norton before.  I now want to try the traditional Norton wine.  Honestly, the only problem I had with this wine was with the name.  White Norton reminded me of White Zinfandel, which, well need I describe that wine.  I think Rose of Norton would have been a very cool name and would also add to the mystique of this unusual wine.

Finally, we had a tasting of Sweet Virginia.  This is a desert wine made of, Cabernet Franc Cabernet Sauvignon and Concord grape.  Yes, Concord grape.  There is 8% residual sugar and 13% alcohol.  It is very sweet, on the nose there was grape jelly, and the taste was grape jelly.  The only thing missing was the peanut butter…if you know what I mean.  If you like desert wine than this was for you.  They called it “Sassy” to target the ladies.

In conclusion, New Kent Winery is a wonderful place to visit.  The architecture and design is very impressive.  I would recommend visiting this winery to anyone that visits the Williamsburg area.  Please do take the tour and the tasting.  The guides are very informative and really show their southern hospitality.  The wines there are very nice and some I would consider adding to my wine cellar.  My top three that I tasted are 1) 2005 Chardonnay 2) Meritage and 3) White Norton.  I feel that New Kent needs to work on their red wine a little more.  I prefer more aromatic wine, but that is just me.  I am not a fan of tannic wine.  I would love to see what they could do with Cabernet Franc, since I am a fan, and it is estate grown.  I hope to visit them again the next time we are in Williamsburg, most likely the next family reunion in 2011.  Overall, this was worth the visit and I would come again.