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.