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.