Virginia vines near Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway
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According to White Wines Vines Analytics– California, Texas and Virginia rank 1st, 5th and 11th in white wine production volume in the U.S. and produce– respectively– 85%, 1%, and less than 1% of red wine yearly in the nation. Combined, the 3 states consist of some 5,625 wineries. Think about tasting the wines listed below– listed in inverse proportion to the quantity of wines produced by these states.
VIRGINIA –
King Family Vineyards. Mountain Plains Monticello Red Wine. 2017. 94 points.
From the eastern U.S. state of Virginia comes this 37/43/20 blend of Cabernet Franc/Merlot/Petit Verdot. Just 3,000 bottles produced. An eclectic and dynamic smash of scents: bright young red fruit, violets, lavender. In the mouth– juicy plums, apricots, cherries, black pepper and toast. Couple with veggie lasagna or cheese blintzes.
Breaux Vineyards. Nebbiolo. 2016. 93 points.
From Virginia comes this 100% Nebbiolo with controlled aromas of chestnuts and ferns. In the mouth this is a silky charm. Tastes consist of blackberries, a small dosage of black licorice, and a hit of roasted chestnuts and treacle on the finish. This is a velvety and mildly complex wine, not a reproduction of Italian Nebbiolo but a new world analysis that is surprisingly approachable with its low-key level of acidity and non-obtrusive tannic foundation. Think about pairing with truffle risotto or even sole topped with baked almonds. Well done, Virginia.
Barboursville Vineyards. Octagon. 2016. 90 points.
Blend of Red Wine, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot developed only throughout the best vintages. Called after the shape of a dining-room created by Thomas Jefferson where convivial conferences took place in Virginia. Consists of scents of a fresh Bordeaux blend, with some black pepper and a little cinnamon. Statured tannins in this robust and rich wine with tastes that include maple syrup, raspberries, Logan berries and treacle– a quixotic new world forest of freshness.
Barboursville Vineyards, Virginia
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Bluestone Vineyards. Petit Manseng. 2019. 93 points.
From Virginia wine maker Lee Hartman comes this distinct 100% Petit Manseng. Fresh and crisp scents of buttered toast, kiwi fruit and slight lime. In the mouth this is a rich, sweet burst of tangerines and grapefruit. A gorgeously easy drinking wine to set either with a seafood platter and even an appetiser of fruit salad and ham.
Michael Shaps Winery. Meritage Virginia Red Wine. 2015. 90 points.
Fragrances of fresh, crisp red fruits in addition to gobs of vanilla, minor mandarin, butterscotch and fudge. In the mouth– cranberries, tart gooseberries, raspberries, buckets of sliced cherries, aniseed and cocoa– tangy and fresh. Pronounced level of acidity and low-key tannins. Pair with a teriyaki beef stew or a sundae fudge dessert.
Trump Reserve. Brut Sparkling Wine. Monticello. 2014. 94 points.
From wine maker Jonathan Wheeler, this includes fragrances of fresh bread crumbs, kiwis and lime from this estate Chardonnay that spends 5 years on lees. A fresh bubbly surprise with tastes of lime, tonic and brioche. Well well balanced, effervescent, dynamic and ebullient. Kiwis on attack, a lick of grapefruit and zested lime and mild cherries mid palate and gin tonic with lemon on the finish. Couple with generally anything– including oysters, mushroom omelet or Dover sole– or attempt as a standalone aperitif.
Barboursville Vineyards. Virginia Paxxito. 2015. 95 points.
In a slender bottle, this 13.5% alcohol gold colored juice is made using the passito approach, where hand chosen grapes are air dried for as long as 120 days prior to pushing. Aged in small barriques for 24 months. Fragrances as delightful as a Sauternes– candied, acidic, fragrant oranges and rum. A buttery, fudge and rum mixture in the mouth– the deft hand of quality and perseverance obvious here.
R.A.H. Red Wine Company. Series 1. Virginia White Wine. 2017. 95-96 points.
This small bottle with a simple label and amber orange juice consists of perky fragrances– slightly oxidized– of heather, sultanas and honey. In the mouth this amber wave with 128 grams a liter of residual sugar is a treasure– smooth, seductive, with tastes of peaches, white pears, oranges and buttered toast on the finish. Quite the Virginian surprise.Vineyard in Texas in
the Fall season.getty TEXAS -Majek Vineyard & Winery.
Cardinal’s Kiss. Black Spanish. Dry Rosé
Red wine. Texas
. 2021. 90-91 points. This 10%alcohol wine from Moravia, Texas is orange colored, with scents of orange skin, candy walking cane, salt, herbs and maraschino cherries. There is an oscillation in between dry and sweet here, and the red wine includes a distinct, other worldly taste profile that starts with a sweet kick and changes to dryness as it plays with taste. Visiting white wine author Sandra Crittenden from Houston, Texas, tasted the wine and explained that the upheaved and complicated limestone soils in much of Texas offer white wines from there with specific vintage aromas– comparable to Tempranillo nation in Rioja in Spain. She recommends matching this wine with tomatillo salsa, rhubarb or a dish flavored with nopales (the edible pads of an irritable pear cactus ). CALIFORNIA -Peter Michael. Coeur à Coeur. Knight’s Valley– Sonoma County. 2018. 95 points. Scents of grapefruit, lime and salinity in
this 50/50 Semillon/Sauvignon mix from the Knights Valley AVA of California’s Sonoma County; sealed by ProCork
. Consists of a crisp and beautiful mouthfeel on the attack, followed by an acidic kick combined with small honey mid palate– rather startling in the best of ways. Fresh and classy, with a somewhat sweet/sour array of flavors. Pair with cashews prior to supper, or with blackened fish cleaned with Asian spices.Sonoma Valley red wine country, California getty