#wbc11 Still before...

Yay!  After a fun an informative tasting at Tarara, the next stop was Breaux Vineyards.  There we were greeted by a welcoming glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc.  In the sizzling heat, the wine was tasty and refreshing.  Virginia wine definitley ignited my sense of adventure! Evidence: when the folks at Breaux proposed a hayride (in the shimmering heat and swimmable humidity), I leaped enthusiastically aboard! 

 On the way, Chris Blosser gave us an update on BreauxVineyards to put the lovely vistas in context.  Started by his father in law,  Paul Breaux in 1994, it remains very much a family business.  Chris told us  a great story of his father in law's fascination with Nebbiolo when he tasted it on vacation in Italy.  Without an interpreter, he managed to get a lesson and created a plan, which manifested in the tasty Nebbiolo currently being produced.

Glorious vistas aside, I nearly melted and was delighted to escape the heat in the 12c wine cave. 

Tasting through, I tried;
'10 Viognier, Breaux Vineyards, Virginia: Clear, pale citrine color.  Aromas of stone fruit and apricot. Delicious acidity that made it very pairable. 
'07 Nebbiolo, Breaux Vineyards, Virginia (barrel sample): Lovely dark color, with fragrance of cherries and spice.  Definitely a wine that wanted to be served with food.  Its tannins were assertive to the border of politeness, which the winemaker, David Pagan Castano,  said they intended to tame with aging.
'07 Meritage, Breaux Vineyards, Virginia:  A Cab Sauv centric blend with lots of black fruit and peppery aromas with a hint of chocolate  The flavors were yummy  with more black fruit and cocoa.  15% alcohol but well integrated so that the alcohol wasn't front and center.
and my favorite:

Girls just want to have Cab Franc or fun!

'07 Cabernet Franc Reserve, Breaux Vineyards, Virginia: My big surprise was how much I loved Virgina Cab Franc and this one is delicious.  With  a rich, round mouthfeel and lovely black fruit and spice, the two bottles I managed to bring home are already gone, pairing well with pork chops and mango-ginger chutney and delighting Xandria, who initially did not want to try it.  Yum!  Yes, at 16.3% alcohol, it packs a wallop, but it is so well integrated that you don't notice the booze, just the yummy flavors and aromas. 

Definitely delightful.  As was the hospitality of the team at Breaux.  The crawfish in the label celebrates the family's Cajun heritage and their tradition of hospitality.  I can vouch it is a super fun place to visit.  Beautiful land and delish wine!  Many thanks to Jennifer, Chris and team! And of course to Stacy and Wendy at Visit Loudoun, who made our preconference so comfy and fun!

Next up:

Chrysalis or Jenny McCloud is an evil temptress...

#wbc11 Before.....

"Honey, why would you want to drink that?" A question posed  to me in the maple sugar tones of a very charming and brilliant gentleman farmer, whose much vaunted efforts in Northern California have eclipsed his Southern heritage. Still, his comments were less terrifying than Napa's North Carolina graftee who assured me, when I overheard her saying all Virginia wine was White Zin, that she had meant that comment in the best sense.

Gulp.



I was already all in ...not just for the conference, but for two full days of preconference in Loudoun County. The promise of seeing Monticello in person as well as wine blogger camaraderie was going to have to be enough. I could hoard my Sharing Wine if worse came to worse. Maybe I could load up at Vino Volo on my way out of the State?

Bitch slapped by the mean heat of Minneapolis (92 degrees in the jetway at 5:30 am local time? Really?) as I changed planes, the discordant rhythm of my day did not seem set to improve as I slogged through Dulles ready to take my lashes and take on the soggy heat and the prospect of days of white Zin.

Yay.

However, the universe favors the intrepid.

As soon as I saw Stacey, I knew I was in capable hands. Visit Loudoun was officially on. Air conditioned coach. Fellow bloggers. And one of my favorite people in the whole world, Melanie Ofenloch, aka Dallas WineChick.  Our first stop was Tarara.  We were met by the enthusiastic and engaging winemaker, Jordan Harris.  Even though the team was so welcoming, the phrase "Whywhywhywhy...White Zin." kept repeating Rod Serling-style in my head. 

Ha!
With the first sniff of the '09 Charval, Virginia ($20), the voices of the haters fell away.  A delightful blend of 66% Chardonnay, 18% Pinot Gris, 9% Viognier and 7% Sauvignon Blanc, the cacophony I now experienced was delicious aromatics.  Sigh of relief.  This wine is good!
We went on to try:
'10 Viognier, Williams Gap Vineyard, Virginia: 100% Viognier The aim of this to have a fresher style was acheived.  Exotic fruits. white peach, with interesting notes of white flowers, the wine also had a nice mouthfeel and lovely finish.  Yum!




'09 Nevaeh (na-VAI-ah) White, Virginia:  70% Viognier with 30% Chardonnay.  Interesting blend produced aromas of mandarin orange sections, cedar and spice.  It had a nice mineral quality, which they said came from the limestone deposits in that section of the vineyard.  It felt a little food slutty; it was better with a snack than alone. Luckily, the table was a locavore's delight. 

'09 Three Vineyards Chardonnay,  Virginia: 100% Chardonnay Golden color, long finish with aromas of pear, fennel seed, baking spice.  The cooperage was interesting in that on this wine, Tarara uses oak from a small forest near the Loire, Jupilles, where the trees are 150 years old and in a cool climate, so very dense.  50% new and 50% 2nd year.  The oak treatment was pleasantly balanced. 

'97 Chardonnay, Virginia: Golden dark straw color.  Aromas of toasted marshmallow.  Super smooth with ripe pineapple at front palate and Marin County forest floor in the middle and in the finish. 



'09 Three2One Cellars - Tranquillity: Collaboration of three wineries who use fruit from the same vineyard.  The three offer their two best barrels to blend.  With aromas of eucalyptus, raspberries and hint of Meyer lemon peel and interesting woody flavors and subtle raspberry flavors in finish, it was delicious.



'08 Commonwealth CasaNoVa, Virginia: 53% Merlot,31% Cab Sauv, 9%Petit Verdot, 7% Cab Franc Dark gorgeous color, alluring aromas of black fruit, chocolate and hint of mint. Cocoa oak in the flavor and a pleasant and elegant finish. 



After tasting through the Tarara wines, they took us to the caves where we sampled from the barrel a Petit Manseng that tasted like it wanted to become a sherry, with Tio Pepe like cuminy hints. All in all an auspicious start to my VirginiaWine Odyssey. 



Next stop :

Breaux Vineyards

A celebration of Catalonia in California: Gloria Ferrer's Catalan Festival

July 23rd and 24th is the annual Catalan Festival at Gloria Ferrer Winery in Sonoma. Come for a taste of Catalan traditions, foods (Paella!), and music and wash them down with the sparkling and still wines of Gloria Ferrer. The winery was the first sparkling wine house in Carneros and this is their 25th anniversary. Indeed many special events will be happening during the festival including wine seminars and grape-stomping. Can't wait to get my feet wet...



I personally will be drinking as much of their sparkling wine as they will let me, especially the Va de Vi a sparkling wine made of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and a bit of Muscat lending notes of sweetness to the citrusy, yeasty goodness. All of their sparkling wines are satisfyingly-delicious.

Tickets are $50 and here is the link:
https://shop.gloriaferrer.com/SHOP.AMS?LEVEL=MID&CATCODE=EVENTS