Wine Tasting: Chateau Morrisette Heritage

Name:  Chateau Morrisette Heritage
Variety: Chambourcin, Tannat, Fortified with Brandy

Region: Virginia

Country: United States
Year: 2011
Price: $40

Shop review:  The wine was brightened with a bit of fresh Chambourcin, while the structure was augmented with the addition of Tannat.  Entrancing aromas of plum and black cherry presage the intensely fruity entry, layered with the character of black tea, baking spices, vanilla and cocoa.  The texture of this deep ruby colored full-bodied wine is silky and emollient; lingering aromas will persist on the palate.  Like all Port-style wines, heritage is fortified and finished sweet, and pairs well with chocolate. 

My review:  Extremely oaky, vanilla flavored, and earthen on the nose, which makes since it was aged for 27 months in oak and fortified with brandy. The wine was somewhat spicy, with raspberry cinnamon, and cocoa bean flavor, and very alcoholic (18%). Our tasting guide said to pair this with cayenne-chocolate, which seems like an excellent idea. I enjoyed this wine quite a bit, and would even say it was my favorite of the day. 

Wine Tasting: Chateau Morrisette Blackberry Wine

Name:  Chateau Morrisette Blackberry Wine
Variety: No Grapes, Only Blackberry

Region: Virginia

Country: United States
Price: $11

Shop review: Sweet and smooth, our Blackberry Wine is packed with the vibrant fruitiness of succulent, sun drenched berries. Made from 100% blackberries. 

My review:  I was very much looking forward to this wine, since blackberry is my favorite berry. Of course, it smelled like blackberries, but also smelled a little sweet. The tasting guide we had described it as "sweet, smooth, and vibrant," and I would have to agree. It was like eating a blackberry cobbler. I enjoyed this wine very much, and have already bought a bottle of it. 

Wine Tasting: Chateau Morristte Cherry Wine

Name:  Chateau Morrisette Cherry Wine
Variety: No Grapes, Only Cherries

Region: Virginia

Country: United States
Price: $11

Shop review: This wine pairs well with spicy grilled meats and is simply amazing with chocolate.  Try drizzled over pound cake for dessert!  Serve lightly chilled.

My review:  This was the first non-grape wine I had ever had, and it was surprisingly good. It smelled like a bowl full of cherries, unsurprisingly, and very sweet. Surprise, it tasted like cherries. It was not acidic at all, and had a very round texture. It had an extremely long cherry finish, almost like a cough syrup that actually tasted good. The server recommended replacing water with this when baking deserts, and I could easily see how that would be a fantastic idea. Would easily get this again, if only to try that. 

Wine Tasting: Chareau Morrisette Our Dog Blue

Name:  Chateau Morrisette Our Dog Blue
Variety: Riesling, Traminette, Vidal Blanc

Region: Virginia

Country: United States
Price: $11

Shop review: This popular white wine is a semi-sweet Riesling-Traminette blend, using Vidal Blanc for added depth. Aromas of melons, citrus fruits, apricots, and delicate flowers highlight the soft finish of this soothing wine.  

My review:  This wine was also very smooth, but lacked some of the flavor and boldness that the similar Angel Chardonnay had. It smelled very much like melon, mostly cantaloupe and honeydew. It tasted somewhat sweet, and was very light. I enjoyed it, but like I said, the flavors in this were much more muted than in the Angel Chardonnay. 

Wine Tasting: Chateau Morrisette Angel Chardonnay

Name:  Chateau Morrisette Angel Chardonnay
Variety: Primarily Chardonnay, with Vidal Blanc, Riesling, and Viognier

Region: Virginia

Country: United States
Price: $13

Shop review: Featuring citrus and pineapple aromas, this light Chardonnay delights the taste buds with a soft entry, entrancing apple character, and lingering acidity. A fruit forward wine bestowed with a heavenly smooth finish, Angel is a blend of tank and barrel fermented Chardonnay, lightened with Vidal Blanc.  

My review:  This was easily the best "Chardonnay" I've ever had. I know it really shouldn't count, because it is blended and not a varietal Chardonnay, but I was very impressed with this. The wine smelled somewhat fruity, with some citrus and pineapple, and was very refreshing after tasting some fairly lackluster reds right before this. The wine was extremely smooth, with a small amount of acidity with the fruit. I enjoyed it so much that this was the wine that I ended up selecting at the end of the day.

Wine Dinner: Wine and Food Pairing Party

My girlfriend's running buddies held a wine tasting dinner party a few weeks ago (or months now, this took forever to finish and post), and I was invited to attend. There were a total of seven wines, each paired with a different appetizer. There was a good sized crowd that showed up, and we put all 14 bottles to good use.

My date and I.

The Menu, listing each wine and what it was to be paired with.

The group photo.

The first pairing was Bluestone Chardonnay with shrimp dip and chips. The chardonnay was fairly bland and acidic, but the acidity did go nicely with the cheese and shrimp in the dish. I'm not a fan of chardonnay, which is mostly why I didn't like this wine. The dip was excellent though.

Bluestone Chardonay

Cream cheese dip and potato chips

The next pairing was Kilaurwen Riesling with shrimp cocktail. This pairing was alright, not helped by the fact that this wine was fairly bland too. It had hints of citrus, which is why the paring was OK, but didn't have any richness to it. The shrimp was good of course, but the two together didn't really stand out to me. 

Kilaurwen Riesling

The third pairing was Cupcake Pinot Grigio with pepper jack cheese and brie. Like the previous two wines, this one didn't have a bold taste either that stood out over the food we were eating, but the acidity did pair well with the cheese. The light, fruity wine balanced out the spicy pepper jack fairly well.

The fourth wine was Turning Leaf Pinot Noir, our first red of the evening (finally).  It was paired with both firecracker shrimp and spicy beef that was taken out from P.F. Chang's. The wine was fairly light and mellow for a Pinot, with lots of fruit and berry flavors, which was disappointing after having three light whites. It paired well with the spicy shrimp dish, but a darker red would have been better with the steak.

Turning Leaf Pinot Noir

Pairing number five was a Mandolin Merlot with pulled pork. The wine was fairly smokey and peppery with some hints of cherry, but following the trend of the evening, was not very dark. The paired well with the barbecue pork, which was very good, but again, it could have been darker and more tannic.

The meat aisle.

After the first five light wines, I was relieved when we finally got to the darker, bolder stuff. Maybe I was just sick of light wines by this point in the night, but the Cooper Cabernet Franc was far and away my favorite. There was lots of blackberry and raspberry flavor, with strong tannins. It was paired with cheddar cheese, which the wine cut through extremely well. 

2010 Cooper Cabernet Franc

The last wine was a Cooper Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine was earthy and woody, with some plum and dark berry flavors. It was paired with Italian style meatballs, which were definitely my favorite food of the night. They paired especially well with the wine, which is to be expected for such a tomato sauce- heavy dish. 

Balls of meat, in sauce.

After seven wines, it was amazing that I remembered an of this to even write about it (which should explain why my wine descriptions are not nearly as detailed as usual), but it was a surprisingly fun time with some really great food.

Wine Tasting: Heinz Eifel Shine

Name: Heinz Eifel Shine
Variety: Riesling

Region: Pfalz

Country: Germany
Year: 2013
Price: $10

Shop review:  This drier-styled Riesling is bright, fruity and floral with crisp acidity and clean flavors of apple, pear and peach that compliment its stony minerality and earthy complexity. It serves well as an aperitif and matches a wide variety of foods, like lighter salad dishes, shellfish, cream sauces and also anything with a touch of spice.

My review:  Peach and melon nose. The wine was sweet, but not so much that it wasn't enjoyable. Tasted mostly of peach and honey.

Wine Tasting: Atlas Cumbres Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Atlas Cumbres
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Lagarde

Country: Argentina
Year: 2010
Price: $15

Shop review:  Intense red color with violet highlights, with clean, fresh and complex aromas of berries, plums, figs and pepper. Strong personality is in perfect balance with a medium body and pleasant tannins. Ideal for: red meats, cheeses and strong sauces.

My review:  Smelled of blackberry and raspberry. Had an earthy, woody taste at first, as well as black cherry. Bold flavors, tannic, with a strong finish. I enjoyed this wine, but it was nothing remarkable.

Wine Tasting: Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau (2)

Name:  Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau
Variety: Gamay

Region: Beaujolais

Country: France
Year: 2013
Price: $15

Shop review: Balanced and lightly creamy, offering pretty flavors of plum sauce and raspberry coulis threaded with hints of ground spice. Elegant, with a floral finish. Drink now.

My review:  This is the second time I've tasted this wine. I said in my previous post that I would be interested in trying it again, because it was so complex. I regret that decision. Before, I had tasted menthol, plum, and raspberry jam, where as this time I tasted what I could only describe as a forest floor that was littered with raspberries. There was not much flavor, but there was a strong alcohol finish. It also smelled like dark cherry and feet, which wasn't the most appetizing thing in the world. After two tries, I can say that I would not get this wine.

Wine Tasting: Bricco dei Tati Rose

Name:   Bricco dei Tati Rose
Variety: Barbera

Region: Piedmont

Country: Italy
Price: $8

Shop review: Fresh with aromas of strawberries, 
cherries and rose petals. This is ideal 
with shellfish, salads, chicken, and with 
appetizers.

My review:  Smelled like sweet, strawberry candy. It did not taste as sweet as it smelled, however. The wine was light, with strawberry and cherry flavor. It was very velvety, light and floral. 

Wine Tasting: Frascati Volpetti

Name:  Frascati Volpetti
Variety: Greco, Malvasia, Trebbiano
Country: Italy
Price: $8

Shop review: Straw yellow in color with a soft, delicate perfume, fruitful flavor, dry and harmonious taste. Perfect with appetizers, soups, fish.

My review:  This wine smelled like honeydew and flowers. It had a lemony taste, was light and dry, with some acidic aftertaste.

Winery Tour: Attimo

Attimo Winery in Christiansburg, Virginia

        This past weekend, I visited the Attimo Winery in Christiansburg, Virginia with my girlfriend, who is my wine tasting partner . It was only a 30 minute drive from Blacksburg, and very much worth the trip. The weather was great, which made it a perfect day to go to the winery. The first thing we did upon arriving was my favorite of the day: the wine tasting. We were able to try nine different wines, starting with crisp white wines and moving on to dryer reds, then rounding the tasting off with some far too sweet dessert wines. After the tasting, we each chose our favorites and had a glass. I had seconds of the A.D. 325, which is a chambourcin varietal that is aged in clay. It had a very noticeable coffee smell, which our server said was caused by the pots the wine was aged in. It was very dark and tannic, but also unlike the other things I have tasted. 

Inside the tasting room, there was a fireplace with many of the different wines we could try 

on display on the mantle. The wines have the awards they've won draped over them.

My favorite wine of the day, the A.D. 325, with the rest of the wine tasting menu. 

We were able to try nine of the eleven wines listed on the left.

A bottle of my wine of choice, the A.D 325.

        After the tasting, we signed up for a tour of the winery. First, we took a stroll through the vineyard, where we were told that Attimo has 17 acres of vineyards in Christiansburg, and leases land to several other locations around Charlottesville and Roanoke. The first thing that is done each season is the pruning of the vines. This happens during winter. In April, the buds break, and by June, they will have grown to their full size. Starting in August, the vines are checked regularly for ripeness. When the correct sugar to acid ratio has been reached for each grape variety, the harvest begins. This typically happens near the end of September. The harvest starts at 4am, with lots of workers handpicking the grapes and placing them in crates. These crates are then taken to the crusher and destemmer, where they are pressed and put in containers for fermentation. For the wines that require cold fermentation, dry ice is used. After a month, the pH of each wine is tested in order to find the correct acidity. 

Attimo's Vidal Blanc Vineyard

Once the correct acidity has been reached, the white wines are immediately bottled to retain their freshness. The red wines are then aged, normally in oak barrels, but sometimes in plastic containers with oak chips, depending on the style the winemaker is trying to create.

The storage shed, where the wine is fermented and aged in barrels.

That concluded our tour of Attimo. Overall, I was extremely impressed with the quality of the wine, and the knowledge of the winemaker. He certainly knew his wines, and had many accolades to prove it. I had never thought of giving Virginia wine a chance when compared to the super powers of Italy, France, and California, but Attimo proved to me that Virginia can make some top class wine.

Wine Tasting: Toso Moscato

Name:  Toso Muscato
Variety: Muscat
Country: Italy
Price: $10

Shop review: This Moscato is reminiscent of honeysuckle and rose petal. The quality is equivalent to a top level Asti Spumante DOCG. Sweet sparkling wine obtained from a careful selection of the Moscato grapes. It has a pale straw yellow color with fine foam and bubbles. Tropical fruit flavors, refreshing. Excellent to match desserts, fruit and dried pastries

My review:  Very fizzy, with a strong watermelon nose. It smells very similarly to the Chinese watermelon Coca-Cola product. It tasted like watermelon soda.

Wine Tasting: Santa Julia Malbec

Name:  Santa Julia
Variety: Malbec
Country: Argentina
Year: 2012
Price: $9                                                                                                                                                                         
Shop review: The nose is full of mellow raspberry and cherry, while the palate is fleshy and round, with blackberry and a touch of raisin. Plump, not edgy, and ready to drink, with coffee and mocha notes on the finish.                                                                                                                                                                                      
My review:  Toffee, buttery nose, with dark berries noticeable as well. It had a very woody smell to it. The wine tasted of cherries and raspberries.

Wine Tasting: El Sierro Merlot

Name: El Sierro
Variety: Merlot
Country: Spain
Year: 2011
Price: $8

Shop review: This bright, soft Merlot comes from a hilly vineyard on the Alcesti family estate in beautiful Sicily. It has hints of red cherries and freshly cut hay.  Exceptional value.

My review:  Blackberry and oaken, wood nose. The wine had some spiciness to it, with strong tannin and alcohol present. 

Wine Tasting: Atlas Cumbres Torrontes

Name:  Atlas Cumbres
Variety: Torrontes

Region: Lagarde

Country: Argentina
Year: 2010
Price: $6

Shop review: Yellow colour with greenish nuances. Very intense aroma of fresh grapes, flower perfume and mature peaches. Fresh in the mouth. Light and easy to drink. Ideal with seafood, Thai and Chinese food.

My review:  Had some acidity coming through the nose, with hints of peach and and orange. Some spiciness and sharpness with the acidity, with more orange and citrus taste.

Wine Tasting: Avery Quinn Chardonnay

Name:  Avery Quinn
Variety: Chardonnay

Region: Napa, California

Country: United States
Year: 2011
Price: $7

Shop review: The 2011 vintage marks a return to form for this great value Chardonnay.  The aromas feature creamy, mellow, golden apple, pineapple, fresh butter and a touch of vanilla.  Then rich, ripe, flavors of yellow pear, pineapple, fresh apple, cream and buttered toast swell up and fill your mouth before a juicy, apple and caramel inflected finish makes your mouth water (and smile!).

My review:  Smelled of similarly to orange dish-washing detergent, with it's acidic, citrusy aroma, with some smokyness. The wine tasted light and creamy, with some oaky, buttery flavors as well.