Ingleside Vineyard Fall Barrel Tasting

On Saturday we went to Ingleside Vineyard for their fall barrel tasting with some friends. They had never been to Ingleside and we jumped at the chance to share a winery that we love! It was a lovely day for it.

We were able to take a tour, the first one of the day, and I was able to get this photo of some of the barrels. They are actually for sale! Something I've never actually seen here before. I realize that they do that, but had never seen it. So that was kind of neat.

At the end of the tour we were able to taste from barrels. The winemaker, Bill Swain, was there with the wine thief to let us sample from the barrel and talk about them. We were able to try a 2008 and 2009 Petit Verdot. We preferred the 2009 over the 2008.

The other two barrels were Merlot and Syrah. And for the life of me I can't remember what year they were. I'm going to take a stab at it and say 2009. And yes you read that right. Four barrels!

After the barrel tasting we were led on to do a tasting of some of Ingleside's fine wines.

I thought this shot of my tasting of the 2007 Petit Verdot was nice. One of my personal favorite wines at Ingleside. Mood lighting and all it was a wonderful tasting.

And of course I had to get this shot of our wonderful pour-er, Melanie.

We had a blast! And our friends left with a case of wine. It was a great day of wine, food and friends.

Veteran's Day

To all of those who have or are serving in the military...

We thank you!

Your sacrifices have NOT gone unnoticed. You are appreciated for all that you do.

And for all the military spouses out there?

Your support is most appreciated.

The Glass House Winery

The final stop for the day was the Glass House Winery. Luckily for us they stayed open until much later.

We were greeted by this sweet little pooch once we all got out of our cars. Later we came to find out this little mascot's name is Dogbert. That seems like an odd name for any dog (and yes I get the Dilbert reference) let alone a female dog.

I did have to get a quick shot of the way we came in to the winery before we lost the light.

We were able to try 6 different wines and got a chocolate sample.

Bring on the wines!

2010 Viognier. 100% Viognier. You might ask why I add this, well some places don't do 100% of the varietal so I like to make note of it. It was a mix of stainless steel and barrel. Dry. I got apricot notes, but there was an odd bite on the end.

2009 Wineworks Viognier. This was a Michael Schapps wine. They had run out of one of their wines and were using one of his. Many wineries will do this. It is 75% Viognier and 25% Vidal Blanc. Done in stainless steel but oddly enough tasted oaky to me.

Vino Signoro. Traminette is in this one and it's 3% residual sugar. I got apricot in the nose and in the taste. I could see this as a porch wine, but it's too sweet for me.

2010 21st. 50% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot and 20% Cab Sauvignon. The notes say it's a tribute to the 21st amendment. I got to say that gave me a bit of a giggle. I got black cherry in the notes, but tasted the oak on the back of the throat. It was aged in American and neutral oak. The smell was not something I enjoyed. But it does taste better than it smells. However I think, yet again, it's the Cabernet Franc that's throwing me. *sigh*

2010 C-Villian. A clever name considering how close they are to Charlottesville. It's a Chambourcin, Merlot and Cabernet Franc blend. It has a lovely deep color and is smooth.

2010 Meglio del Sesso. This is a Norton, Cabernet Franc and Chambourcin blend. It is aged with 82% ground chocolate for two months. Again with the Cabernet Franc!

What do they do with that chocolate you might ask? They turn it into fantastically yummy chocolates that they sell in the shop. And you get to taste one when you try the last wine. I really LOVED the salted caramel!

Not a bad note to end on. I will make one note on this place. They try too hard. Sometimes less is more. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

Pollak Vineyards

We made it to Pollak Vineyards with time to spare before they closed for the day.

We were greeted after standing at the bar for just a short period of time. We had one employee pour for us, which was nice.

So bring on the wines!

2010 Viognier. This had peach notes. Was light but had a bit of spice on the end. Viognier is another grape that grows well in Virginia, so most wineries will have one. I'm not the biggest fan of this one either.

2010 Pinot Gris. This had a mineral/gravel kind of taste to it. I really didn't get anything in the nose. And it had a bit of a bubbly feel to it. Not at all pleasant.

2010 Durant White. This is 60% Chardonnay, 30% Viognier, and 10% Pinot Gris. They do a post fermentation blend. In other words, they blend it after each varietal has fermented. It had peach notes to it and a clean finish. Not bad.

Bring on the reds!

2009 Durant Red. This was a 50/50 blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. There we go again. It had smokey notes to it. Dry but tasted over oaked and had that bubbly feeling on the tongue. Not good. I'm really not enjoying the Cabernet Franc and Merlot mixes that are out there.

2009 Merlot. This spent 14 months in the barrel and 9 months in the bottle. It still needs to age, which is a sad statement. I did get a black cherry smell to it and it was dry.

2009 Cabernet Franc. This also spent 14 months in the barrel and 9 months in the bottle. I did get a pepper smell and the slight taste of cassis. I still haven't found that Cabernet Franc to wow me.

2008 Cabernet Sauvignon. This one made me smile. It had cherry notes to it and a fruity flare. It also had a very nice finish.

2008 Meritage. This is 44% Cabernet Franc, 43% Merlot and 13% Petit Verdot. They took their best barrels at 12 months, blended them and then rebarreled them. I got black current and black cherry in the nose. A very bold red.

2009 Petit Verdot. This was light in color. Which saddens me since this varietal is normally dark and lovely. I got black berries and plum notes from it. It had an earthy, but charred finish to it.

I noted that many of the wines had unfined and unfiltered. What does unfined mean? I asked. Basically it's a chemical process to 'de-cloud' the wine. I have a feeling that is the reason that some of these tasted off to me.

Veritas Vineyard

After a quick stop at Jak N Jil's for a late lunch and a bit of sobering up, we headed out to Veritas Vineyard.

The drive is beautiful and it was perfect fall weather. Nice, crisp and slightly chilly!

There was a wedding party there doing pictures when we arrived, but we were still greeted warmly and had no issues getting a tasting. We had a lovely young lady who stayed with us the entire tasting. A major change from the other wineries we've been to.

2010 Chardonnay "Saddleback". Modled at the 'old world' style from Chablis, France they fermented 100% Chardonnay in stainless steel tanks and matured in primarily neutral oak barrels for 4 months. I got apple and pear on the nose and a taste of apple and kiwi.

White Star. This is a blend of 80% Viognier, Traminette, Chardonnay and Vidal Blanc. It had floral notes and a nice fruity kick. Recommended to me as a summer wine. I can see that and will definitely be taking a bottle home with me!

2010 Rose. Oh how I adore Rose! It's Cabernet Franc and Merlot that were in contact with their skin for 24 hours, giving it a lovely color. It had a wonderful strawberry nose and a vanilla/strawberry finish that I found delightful. Yet another wine to take home! I get so tickled when I can find a good Rose. Normally I do Rose's for the summer, but I don't think this one will be around for December!

Bring on the reds!

2010 Cabernet Franc. This is 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot. It was smokey to the nose and had a black pepper taste. Okay for a Cabernet Franc. Yet again I'm not a fan, but through no fault of the winery.

2010 Claret. This is 45% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot. It was earthy, dry and smooth. Very nice.

Red Star. This is a white wine drinker's red. Light, soft and slightly sweet. A blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Chambourcin. I'm noticing they used a lot of Cabernet Franc for blending.

On to dessert wines!

2009 Petit Manseng. This is 10% residual sugar. So yeah, it's sweet! I got a pineapple/mango taste. A nice dessert wine, but nothing I'm taking home tonight.

2009 Othello. This is not normally on the tasting list, but luckily for us there was a bottle open. This is a blend of 61% Touriga Nacional and 39% Tannat. It's fortified with brandy and then aged for 2 years in oak. I got plum on the nose. It was sweet and smooth. 10% residual sugar. 17% alcohol. Definitely a sipping after dinner wine.

So far, this is my favorite winery. Open and inviting and knowledgeable staff. We would have stayed longer, but it was getting closer to 5 and we wanted to try to get one or two more wineries in.

Burnley Vineyards

Our next stop, just a hop, skip and a jump from Barboursville was Burnley Vineyards.

I had to get a shot of Cooper, the beautiful German Shepherd, the winery mascot. LOL He greeted everyone once he came in and then laid down behind the bar.

Bring on the white wines!

Barrel Fermented Chardonnay. This was fermented in oak barrels and then stored in oak barrels for 4 months. The barrels were stirred ever 2 weeks. Once again I got this off the tasting notes. We did have a person, but she was trying to deal with 2-3 different groups at different stages of the tasting. This had a weird taste to it and a bite. I'm guessing it was due to the fact that it's so young.

Chardonnay. This was fermented in stainless stell and then aged in medium oak barrels for 5 months. I got no real taste from this. Looking at my notes, in order to be nice, I've done some editing.

On to the reds!

Rivanna Sunset. This is made from the Chambourcin grape. They did it in the blush style so it would have a pink tint. It's 4% residual sugar made me think of it as more of a dessert wine than something to serve with a meal. But different strokes for different folks.

Dog Gone Red. This had the CUTEST label on it! Cooper the dog was featured. If I couldn't find anything that I liked I was going to take this home with me! It was his debut wine. Gotta love that! It was a semi-dry and could be served room temperature or chilled. It might be really nice chilled. I, of course, found it a bit sweet for my taste.

Rivanna Red. This was a blend of Chambourcin, Norton and Cabernet Savignon. The wine is done in a Beaujolais style, which means it's supposed to be light bodied. And it was, but it tasted kind of sour to me. A big turn off for me.

Zinfandel. I love red zins! 100% Zinfandel! It was a bit softer than I expected, but nice. It is young and they do tell you that. They say it will age 3-5 years. And I agree. I know I truly belly ached about this at Barboursville, but I think this one has true potential!!

Cabernet Sauvignon. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. This was unfiltered, which makes the wine a bit heavier. It had a bold fruity smell, but tasted green. They do suggest aging it for several years. Uh oh. Am I going to have to start a rant on this one as well? I'm sure it will be better in a few years, but I can't get past the green. One more and you're getting a rant Burnley!

Norton. This grape was developed in Richmond, VA around 1820 and was commercially available in 1830. Yep I'm copying notes! It was the main grape in early Virginia wines. It was the heaviest and richest of all the red wines. Nice.

On to dessert wines!

Rubix. This is a port style dessert wine made from the Norton grape. So it is sweet, but also smooth. I thought it was okay, but don't think I'll bring home any. It could either be served well chilled or at room temperature. Good to know!

Moon Mist. This is made with White Muscat and Orange Muscat. Best served well chilled with a sweet but tart dessert. I can see this. It is sweet with a nectarine finish. I'm not big on dessert wines, but this was nice.

Peach Fuzz. This is a blend of grape juice and peach juice which are then cold fermented and cold filtered. Then more peach juice is added to sweeten the wine before bottling. Light and refreshing. I think it'd be great for the summer time. Or to add to a mimosa!

Aurora. A sweet red wine that they added chocolate and raspberries. It smells like a raspberry tootsie pop. It's not as sweet as it smells and has a slight raspberry finish. Awesome idea, but I don't know that I'd get this one. It would definitely have to be served well chilled.

Spicy Rivanna. This is the Rivanna Red with they added natural flavorings of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice, anise, orange peel, lemon peel and residual sugar. They suggest to serve it well chilled or steaming hot like tea. I tried it hot. You can definitely smell the spices. It's like mulled wine in a bottle. Which is what they were trying for.

Barboursville Vineyard

The next stop on day of wineries was Barboursville Vineyard. You could tell that by the title right?

Of course I had to get a picture of Barboursville. Something I try to do when we get to each winery. Doesn't always happen, but I do try my best.

And I had to snap this one. It almost looks the cows are in the vineyards. This gave me the giggles every time I think about it.

This tasting was done in an almost assembly line kind of way. You moved down from each section white to reds and then on to dessert. You didn't have the same pourer either. So you got a mix of people pouring wine for you. I'm not sure how I felt about that. I kind of like having one person walk you through your wines.

And I had to get a shot of the Barboursville ruins. Thomas Jefferson designed this building.

Again I got most of my information from the tasting sheet than the pourer. Which seems sad, but when you have SO many wines it's hard to remember everything. So this will be a mix of their notes, if I didn't care for the wine, and my impressions.

The first wine was the 2010 Sauvignon Blanc. I love Sauvignon Blanc! And this was no exception. We left with a bottle of this. It was crisp and had hints of citrus on the palate.

2010 Pinot Grigio. Jim is a big fan of Pinot Grigio, so I had to share a sip with him. I did get the touches of apple, pear and pineapple and it had a nice crisp finish to it.

2010 Chardonnay. This is done in a cold fermentation in stainless steel. It was clean and crisp with a quick finish.

2010 Chardonnay Reserve. I did not actually try this one. My friend Ruth did. It's barrel fermented and aged for 8 months. Ruth said it had a light smokiness to it and a quick finish.

2009 Viognier Reserve. I passed on this one. Not a big Viognier fan.

2010 Rose. I'm a HUGE Rose fan. This one was done in 38% Nebbiolo, 26% Sangiovese, 21% Barbera and 15% Cabernet Franc. It was a very pale pink. The claim is that it finishes smooth and it's dry but fleshy. Seriously who writes this stuff? I found it to be dry but light. Nothing to make me want to take a bottle home.

2010 Riesling. This was done in a long and cold fermentation. Off-dry and well balanced. It was dry but slightly sweet. And harsh! Not to my liking.

All in all the whites were nice. I left with two bottles of the white. On to the reds!

2009 Sangiovese Reserve. I felt so so on this one. It was nice. Dry, but light. I really don't have much to say about this. Which is kind of sad.

2008 Babera Reserve. This is made with the Barbera grape. It's described as elegantly earthy, with raspberry, chocolate and plum tones. I did get earthy tones, but I'm not sure how elegant that can be, and the plum notes. It had nice tannins and was dry.

2008 Nebbiolo Reserve. The tasting notes claim this to be a true example of the beauty and power of the most acclaimed varietal in Italian viticulture. Okay whoever wrote up these tasting notes was truly trying to impress and wax poetic. The notes (in my dumbed down version) say there are notes of tar, smoke, blackberry and tobacco. While it's full bodied and has a lasting finish. It will improve with age and turn into a true gem. When this is in the notes I tend to worry. While it was nice and dry and I did get the smokiness... In my opinion selling it as something that will be better with age tells me you're trying to get rid of it and had no patience in waiting for it to age a bit more.

2009 Merlot. While they say there is a limited oak aging, they never say how long. It was soft on the tannins with a small bite. And of course dry.

2009 Cabernet Sauvignon. Twelve months of oak aging process producing a well balanced structure with supple and refined tannins. I'm not so sure about that. I found it to have a bite and it dried out my mouth. Yes you read that right!

2008 Cabernet Franc Reserve. Twelve months of barrel aging. Did they hear my earlier complaint? I did get currant in the nose and it was smooth and dry. I'm not a Cabernet Franc fan. Yet I will try them, because this is a grape that does extraordinarily well in Virginia. Maybe some day I'll find one that converts me, but not today.

2008 Merlot Reserve. 100% Merlot. I did find it to have nice tannins. It had a silky/creamy finish to it. Very nice. But again they claim while it's approachable in youth it will age well for 5-8 years. Really? If you don't think it's at its peak why is it out? I know some people like to put things up to let the wine reach it's potential. But what if it sucks now? We have only your word it will be better. Sorry pet peeve of mine.

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Reserve implies that this wine is the best of that vintage. Again it claims rich and polished tannins that allow extended cellaring. To me? It tasted green. And I like Cabernet Sauvignon. *sigh* A big disappointment. Nothing even came through to me to hint at a wonderful wine some where down the line.

2007 Octagon. This is one of their signature wines. It's a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot that is aged 15 months in new French barriques. That's a fancy way of saying small barrels. Trust me I had to Google it. And apparently it is also meant for long term cellaring. It was dry and a bit smoky, which is nice. However, it had a bit of a bite that kind of threw me. Sadly not a bottle to make it home with me.

The reds seemed light to me. And it seemed that most were meant for cellaring instead of immediate consumption. I like to open my wines up and share them with friends to get them hooked on the wineries. Sadly none of these came home with me.

On to the dessert wines!

Cabernet Blanc. A blush style wine with delicate color. Had I read that note before tasting I would have passed. Blush? Ugh! It said semi-sweet with a crisp fruity taste. It definitely had a wonderful fruity smell, but the taste just wasn't there.

Rosato. I tried this one for the name alone! However, their notes irked me. The call this a dessert style rose. Rose's with that little mark above the e? Those aren't supposed to be sweet!!! ARGH! That being said it was kind of nice. It had a strawberry smell to it. Not unpleasant. And was sweet at the front of your mouth, but tart in the back. I found this one kind of fun. I would definitely give it a second chance.

2006 Malvaxia Reserve. Got a bit of education with the notes on this one. Hooray! I love to learn about wine. This is created in the traditional Passito process. I didn't know what this was, but it goes on to explain. The grapes of Malvaxia are carefully hand selected and set aside to rest and air dry for up to 120 days before pressing and fermentation. Six months of a slow and cool fermentation followed by extended barrel aging. I got notes of tropical fruit and an explosion of sweetness.

A lot of wines to try. The notes are somewhat informative. Beautiful venue. I just wish for a bit more I guess.

Horton Vineyards

Our first stop for the day was Horton Vineyards.

You drive up to what looks like a Swiss Chalet past part of their vineyard.

They have 47 wines available for tasting and you can choose up to 12 of them. That's a LOT of wine to try! But it does give you a wide variety of different things to try.

I had to get a shot of the view from the door. Seeing as how it's the first of November, most of the leaves are brown. Not the prettiest of photos, but I felt that it was a nice view. Much prettier in early fall or during the summer, I'm sure.

The first wine I tried was the 2010 Rkatsiteli. This is a dry Georgian/Russian variety. The tasting notes say there are zesty orange peel aromas, citrus flavors and a long finish. I really didn't get that though. I just thought it was slightly sweet. And I really didn't smell anything on it. Sad.

2008 Rkatsiteli Reserve. I was surprised that they have a vintage this old still. I did enjoy this one. It was nice and dry. Very refreshing. A nice summer wine. There weren't really any tasting notes on this one. It was merely listed as a 20th Anniversary wine, which could explain the age of this wine. Definitely something I would walk away with. And I did!

2008 Petit Manseng. The notes say a pina colado nose. Says it's rich with creamy flavors followed by a clean and firm acidic backbone. I could get the pina colado nose. There was a slight sweetness to it and it did feel creamy.

Route 33 Red. They call this a one of a kind blend of Mourvedre and Tannat, saying it is floral and rich with berry flavors and finishes long and smooth. This had a slight sweetness to it. I wasn't all that impressed. And I really didn't have any impression on the nose.

2008 Stone Castle Red. I really didn't get any of what the notes say. It was slightly drier than the wine before it, but not really that impressive. The notes say deep garnet color, roasted nuts, herb, spice and backed berry aromas. A round supple entry leading to a dryish medium body with dark berry flavors. Who writes this? I got none of it.

2008 Cotes d Orange. The New World offering of a traditional Rhone Style blend using Mourvedre, Tannat and Pinotage. The most information I think I've gotten on a wine and it's all from the notes. It was nice and dry. Nice, but not one that I took home.

2010 Malbec. What can I say? These are hard to find so a bottle was definitely going home with us. I'm not even adding the tasting notes, because they seem (sorry) just plain silly to me. Dry and a nice finish. I was happy with it, even though I don't have info on it.

2003 Syrah. More information! Hooray! This 12% Tannat, 6% Petit Verdot, and 5% Pinotage which adds complexity and smokiness. It had a nice red color, but I didn't get any red fruit or black cranberries. It was nice and dry, but left something funny on the back of my throat. Sadly I didn't care for this one. And I like Syrah. Another older wine, which surprised me. Or maybe not considering that odd feeling/taste it left on the back of my throat.

2008 Pinotage. This is a dry South African Red. This is one I've never had before so I don't know exactly what this is in comparison. They say this combines the finesse of Pinot Noir and the intensity of Cinsault. I'll just take their word for it. I found it to be dry and a bit oaky, but that's okay.

2002 Tannat. This is a dry Madiran red loaded with intense raspberry and blackberry aromas. It has a huge mouth feel caused by a complex tannin structure and a long dry finish. I really have to agree with this. It was dry and had heavy tannins. VERY nice.

DIO 1999. This is a dry Portuguese red. The notes say dried dark cherries, damson plums and mocha aromas underlie the smokey, roasted flavors in the marriage of Touriga and oak. I did get the mocha aroma, but that was it. It was dry, but I got a tang to it that I found unpleasant.

2005 Vinatge Port. Touted as the only port made in Virginia. It is 57% Norton, 15% Touriga Nacional and 28%. It's sweet and smooth.

Courage. This is another one of the 20th Anniversary wines. A nice port. I thought it was even smoother than the first port, this could be due to age as well.

All the information I got was from the tasting notes. While the staff was friendly, they didn't seem knowledgeable about the wines. I go to interact with the staff and learn, this didn't really happen here which is sad.

Jim put it well this morning. They've become more of a wine manufacturer than wine grower.

Day of Wineries

So we were able to spend the day going to wineries with our friends Ruth and Jeff.

Instead of one big blog I'm breaking into wineries.

It was a fun, but long day and we managed to cover six wineries in one day. Whew! It made for a long day!

A Weekend Discovery

I know I've been lax on the blog. There's no excuse other than I've been lazy. So prepare for random posts!

So during October, I believe it was the weekend of the seventh, Jim and I were taking a Sunday drive when we came across the Military Aviation Museum out near Pungo. We decided that it was time to go and check it out. We're crazy like that sometimes.

All of these photos were taken with my iPhone. Seriously, I must start bringing my camera with me! Had to get a photo of the 'Fighter Factory'. Many planes are in here.

As luck would have it there was an event going on that very day. So we decided to check it out. They were having the WWI Bi-Planes and Tri-Planes Airshow. Planes, as you can see, were not the only thing there. They had re-en actors there and cars. And of course numerous planes.

I HAD to get a shot of this sexy little Jag. So pretty!!

This is inside the Fighter Factory. My phone could not do it justice. It's much wider.

All the planes in here are flyable. I think that's probably one of the coolest things about it. That they are all functional. Doesn't matter if they're replicas or not.

Jim laughingly called it the hangar of sex. Guess you have to really be into planes to get that one. LOL

The rest of these are photos of just a few of the planes that were there. I'm not the one who knows about this stuff. That's Jim's department, but he's been really busy as of late.

This is an amphibious car. First vehicle we actually came across during our time there.

And yes it does as the name implies. It goes in the water!

I had to get a picture of this remote control plane. October is breast cancer awareness month. Save the ta-tas!!!

And what better way to end this blog than with a picture of my sweetie with his favorite plane, the Corsair. Man I'm jealous of that plane.

If you're ever in the area, I definitely recommend checking it out. You can learn a lot.