Blue Plate: A Summertime White

This is the wine club white for July.

Blue Plate, Dry Chenin Blanc, 2011

Varietal, Region: Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg, CA

Price: about $20

Available at: Grateful Red

My Tasting Notes: Crisp and refreshing with hints of lemon and pear. Nice minerality. High Acidity but well balanced.

My Verdict: Perfect for red and rose drinkers who might need a break from the norm. Nice and light, too, and you won't wake up with that white wine hangover! 

Interesting Fact: South Africa is currently the largest producer of this grape. 

Summertime Rosés

I can be picky when it comes to roses, so here are two I really enjoy.

The "Under $20"

Meinklang Prosa Frizzante Rosé

Varietal, Region: Pinot Noir, Burgenland, Austria
Price: About $15.99/bottle
Available at: Whole Foods, Clarendon
My Tasting Notes: This is a darker rosé, made with Pinot Noir grapes. Notes of red berry fruit, cherries and cranberries and nice crisp bubbles. Slightly sweet and just a touch tart.
My Verdict: This is one of my favorites and made biodynamically. It was my first wine from Austria. As nerdy as this may sound, I felt like I struck gold after trying this bottle. If you're like me, and sometimes you can't decide between a red wine, a sparkling rose or something else entirely, this one is a great "middle ground," a perfect refreshing bubbly for wine drinkers who want to try something new!

The "Upscale" 

Maison Mont d'Azur Cloud Chaser Rose 2012

Varietal, Region:  35% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, 12% Mourvedre, 11% Carignan, 8% Syrah, 3% Tibouren, Cotes de Provence, France
Price: About $30/bottle
Available at: Pascal and Sabine in Asbury Park, NJ, and various online retailers.
My Tasting Notes: A fantastic light rose, dry but not too dry, slight mineral taste with hints of raspberry and strawberry and peach.
My Verdict: This was a wine we had while at brunch with friends who live in NJ. All the ladies had this one and said they loved it! It's absolutely one of the best roses I've had. I haven't found it locally yet but I'm working on it. And let me add that the food was amazing. I wish we lived closer!




Happy Summer...Cheers!

*The Grape Unknown: Virginia Malbec & Green Pig Bistro

Jacey Malbec, NV
 

Vineyard: Jacey Vineyards, Wicomico Church, VA
Restaurant, Neighborhood: Green Pig Bistro, Clarendon

 Price: $10/glass, $30/bottle
 

My Tasting Notes: This is a full bodied wine, with notes of blackberry and plum. A slight mineral taste, with noticeable tannins that give it a little "bite."

 My Verdict: A pleasant surprise, definitely worth a glass!

The Grape: I was surprised to see a Virginia Malbec on the wine list. Through the vineyard "intel" I've gathered in Virginia, the grape is not often grown here and when it is, it's typically used as a blending grape, not as a wine on it's own.

To Note: This vineyard is on the Chesapeake Bay Wine Trail ...and apparently you can arrive by boat!!

Cheers!

Read Part One of *The Grape Unknown!

*The Grape Unknown: A Red from Uruguay

This is my very first Tannat and my first Uruguayan wine!

 

Pueblo del Sol Tannat 2013

Varietal, Region: Tannat, Juanico, Uruguay
Price: Sip ($3.75), Glass ($7.50), Bottle ($30)
Available at: Screwtop Wine Bar 
 My Tasting Notes: This wine is a dark red color and medium to full bodied. Slightly spicy and oaky but great balance. Notes of cherry and plums and a nice finish.  
My Verdict: The server at Screwtop said it was a dry wine, and I'm not the hugest fan of ultra dry wines, but I decided to give it a shot. This wine is definitely worth trying. I could tell right away that it wasn't a "typical" red grape but I mean that in a good way.

More on the grape: After doing a little research, I found out Tannat is a red grape that has roots in South West France, and is considered the "national grape" of Uruguay. It's also found in Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Bolivia (as well as the Puglia region of Italy where it is used as a blending grape).

Food: We also had some "Tres Tacos al Puerco" and they were divine. Needless to say, they vanished from the plate before I even thought to take a picture. But, it's always a great excuse to go back...

*I can't take credit for coming up with "The Grape Unknown." It's one of the cleverly named categories of wine on Screwtop's menu.

Cheers!

Red Cap Vineyards: A Howell Mountain Gem

Red Cap Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010

Location: Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, CA

Price: $75/bottle

I was so excited when this wine arrived in the mail. It comes from a family-owned boutique vineyard on Howell Mountain in Napa Valley. I first heard about the, through social media outreach for State of the Vine. After reading many rave reviews, I decided I just had to try it.

Currently, Red Cap doesn't distribute in the DC/Northern Virginia area, but you can order online, or by calling the vineyard!

Noteworthy: Not only was everyone I spoke with wonderful, helpful and nice, but they have the cutest vineyard dog named Roscoe that I have totally fallen in love with! 

Michael, the marketing director for Red Cap answered all of my questions and helped me pick the best year of their Cabernet to try first. He even gave me some great tips on decanting and the proper type of wine glass to use for maximum taste (more on that below).

Tasting Notes: I realized right away after taking my first sip that drinking this wine would be an experience...it's so phenomenal I was forced to slow down and really enjoy it (trust me; that's a very good thing). My fiancé Anthony, who was enjoying it with me, always has words of "wine wisdom" to share. He said he could "taste the blades of grass." I knew exactly what he meant. 

This 2010 Cabernet is juicy, with notes of cherry and blackberry. The perfect amount of oak and tannin. Smooth and silky on the palate and and a lingering finish. Excellent. 

My Verdict: This is one of the best reds I've ever had. I can't wait to try their other years (although I hear they are selling out fast!) And maybe I'll get to visit their vineyard someday when I finally make it out to California.

If I could sum this wine up in one word...CAB-solutely!*

*Phrase credit of Brenna, Trina and Tay. Miss you ladies! 

Tips: 

Decanting- When my wine arrived from California, Michael suggested I let it "rest" for a few days before popping it open.

Michael's suggestions:

    1. Uncork the wine
    2. Pour a one ounce taste
    3. Pour half into a decanter (leave the other half in the bottle)
    4. Wait 15-30 minutes
    5. Taste the differences, and enjoy

The glass- Michael suggested a red Bordeaux glass, a regular red wine glass, or a Pinot Noir glass. He stressed how important the glass is because it "allows for the wine to open up." I liked it the most out of the Pinot Noir glass I think but to tell you the truth it was equally fantastic out of every glass. 

Cheers!

Learn more about the Howell Mountain AVA and their wines here.

Vineyard Info:

Red Cap Vineyards Instagram, Facebook, Website

#redcapvineyards #howellmountain 

VA Wineries: Sunset Hills & Breaux

My fiance and I recently took a day trip to scout out potential wedding venues in Virginia wine country and, of course, to taste some of the local "vino."

Our picnic lunch: 

We went to 2 wineries, both in Purcelville.

This is a view from the barn at Sunset Hills, where we did the first tasting.

When we arrived, there was live music and people were outside, relaxing and mingling. The staff was very friendly and answered all of our questions about wine and weddings! 

Interesting Fact: One thing I learned at Sunset Hills...the term Meritage is trademarked. More about that in a future post...

My Verdict: I really enjoyed their reds. And to my own utter shock, my favorite of the reds was a Merlot. I expect to see a pig fly by my window any minute now!

Vineyard #2: Breaux

Breaux is one of, if not the most, picturesque vineyard I've ever been to. I tried to take the best pictures possible (courtesy of the iphone4), but I feel like it was hard to capture everything. 

This place seriously looked like the Italian countryside.

If you let your imagination run away with you for a second you might be able to trick yourself into thinking you're just out and about in the Italian countryside.

Breaux also had music and little tables for people to sit at and everyone was extemely nice there too, and fun to talk to! 

My Verdict: These wines were also very good and a little different than those of Sunset Hills. The reds here were more old world style, a little heavier but not roo heavy and a good Virginia grape.

Interesting Fact: They actually grow Malbec grapes at the vineyard which is the first Virginia vineyard I've heard of that grows them, but they are only used in blends. 

In the about 5 years since I moved to the area, I think Virginia wines have improved dramatically. I really can't emphasize that enough!

Cheers!