Wannabe Wino

Several months ago, Brian Roeder, the owner of Barrel Oak Winery, contacted me, and invited me to come visit his brand new winery in Virginia. After some back and forth, given that I am traveling for work a lot these days, we finally came up with a good weekend and Matt and I ventured forth to Virginia Wine Country.


Barrel Oak is one of the newest of Virginia's ever-growing winery population. About 3 and a half years ago, Brian and his wife decided to go ahead with purchasing land to start a vineyard, an idea they had been tossing around in a casual/semi-serious manner for a few years.

Right now, as you can imagine, Barrel Oak is in its infancy. They are currently producing wines with fruit sourced from various Virginia vineyards and they used the facilities of Pearmund and La Grange for their first vintage. They intend to have their first estate harvest in 2009 and will crush and make the wine at Barrel Oak this coming season. Brian's wife is the head winemaker, having trained at many VA vineyards, she is assisted by the former assistant winemaker from Pearmund. Brian designed Barrel Oak with the future in mind: they have the capacity to produce 10,000 cases within 10 years, with 9000 square feet of production space. They also intend to boast 3 full tasting bars on the premises.


We tasted through the current line up and reserve line up:

Bow Haus White 2007: $18. 70% Vidal Blanc, 30% Sauvignon Blanc, it recently won gold at the VA State fair. Citrus, grapefruit, touch of honey, light good texture, pineapple, great summer white. We bought 2.

2007 Seyval Blanc: $19. Includes 10% Sauvignon Blanc. Minerals, wet stone, lemon, grass, crisp, dry. We took home 2.

2007 Chardonnay: $24. Stainless steel fermented, no maloactic, aged in neutral French oahk. Oak, apple, spice, lemon, green apple, light in the mouth.

2007 Viognier: $20. Maloactic fermentation and oak aged. Honey, peach, pear, honey suckle, creamy, nice mouthfeel.

2005 Bowhaus Red: $18. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Tourig, 11% Malbec, 6% Merlot, 6% Petite Verdot, some Norton in there too. Chocolate, earth, sweet, light, strawberries, berries. Would be good slightly chilled.

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon: $20. Very light in color, 12% Petite Verdot. Light, berries, strawberry, raspberry, nice finish.

2005 Merlot: $20. 100% Merlot. Earth, leather, berries, wood, oak, nice body, tannins, cherry, plums, very well done.

2005 Norton: $18. 10% Cabernet Franc. Perfumey, violets, fruity, grapey, berries.

2005 Tour Ga Franc: $26. 40% Cabernet Franc, 60% Touriga. $2 from each bottle are donated to Lance Armstong's Foundation. Spice, red fruit, herbs, pepper, red berries.

2006 Cabernet Franc: $26. 10% Chambourcin. Herbal, leather, tobacco, red fruit, very light, peppery finish.

2005 Petite Verdot: $26. 12% Merlot. Chocolate, plum, red fruit, very aromatic, nice fruit, good structure. One of my favorites of the day, we took home one bottle.

2006 Late Harvest Viognier: $25. Picked late October. Honey, citrus, spice, pineapple, sweet, thick.

2006 Chocolate Lab: $26. Muscadine, Merlot, Viognier. Cocoa nibs are added along with neutral grape spirits. Chocolate, slight berry, port-like.



Barrel Oak has a beautiful facility. Their porch looked so inviting, and had it been a little later in the day, we definitely would have parked ourselves out there with a glass of wine to enjoy the view (well, and also, if the sprinklers weren't on drenching the porch!). The tasting bar of Barrel Oak is huge, and that's just the first one! They also have a space in the loft for a 2nd bar, and space downstairs for a 3rd bar. Though I think we'll have to avoid the 2nd floor as Matt was a bit too tall.

Overall, I was very impressed with the quality of wine being produced by Barrel Oak. It honestly surprised me for such a young winery as I have certainly tasted many established VA wines that don't come anywhere close to the quality being produced here. I thought the reds were very well done, and would have taken home more if it weren't so hot here now that red wine doesn't really enter my mind. Also good to note, Barrel Oak is extremely dog friendly. You are more than welcome to bring your pooch with you to enjoy the day in VA Wine Country.


My one pet peeve, and I say this about all wineries: I hate tasting fees that aren't returned if you buy bottles. I realize that many folks say that people will buy the cheapest bottle to get the fee back, blah blah blah. I have no problem if you put a "Buy 3 bottles get your fee refunded, or buy $50 worth and get your fee refunded." And maybe I missed the sign or notation on the menu where it told you the cost, but I don't think so. I must admit, I was thus a bit surprised to find a tasting fee charge on my tab.

I will certainly return to Barrel Oak in the future to see how their wines develop as they move toward harvesting their own fruit.

I found this bottle of dessert wine lurking in the cellar during one of our reorganization projects. I purchased it in 2005 from the Williamsburg Winery in Williamsburg, VA back when I lived down there and was a frequent visitor, particularly to scoop up bottles of the Governor's White! This wine was a 2002 Williamsburg Winery Late Harvest Vidal. I bought it at the winery, it had a real cork closure, clocked in at 11% alcohol by volume, had 13% residual sugar, and I couldn't tell you what I paid, though the current vintage sells for $24.

On the nose the wine was sweet, showing honey and apricot. In the mouth, much of the same. It has held up incredibly well over the years, and actually tasted even better than I remember. The color had also intensified, though I can't find the picture of it that I took for you. Given how well it's drinking now, but also taking into consideration that it still had a nice backbone, I'd say this one still has some life for aging in it. I will also admit that it was not stored under perfect conditions....it lived on my counter wine rack in my townhouse for well over a year, survived a summer in VA in un-airconditioned climate, then lived in the racks in our one bedroom apartment for almost a year before it moved to our house for almost another year. And it still tasted great!

A quick review this morning (have to go to work super early today!) of a local wine from Rappahannock Cellars. I owe you a review on our tasting experience at Rappahannock, which I will get around to eventually, along with a million reviews from Sonoma and the DC Wine and Food Festival!

The wine for the evening was a 2006 Rappahannock Cellars Vidal Blanc. We see quite a bit of Vidal Blanc and Seyval Blanc here in Virginia, both grapes grow fairly well in our climate. I'm pleased to notice that the quality has grown in leaps and bounds in the 5 years I've lived here and been drinking VA wines.

The wine had a nose of pear, honey, apricot, and tart tropical fruit. In the mouth, apricot and spiced pears dominated the flavors. The wine was tart, with good structure and solid acidity to keep the sweetness that this grape can demonstrate in check.

Oddly enough, I can only find information about the dessert variety of this wine on their website, and the bottle appears to have disappeared from my house. I believe we paid around $14 for this, it had a real cork closure, and was about 12.5% alcohol by volume.

The wine for the evening was the 2006 Rappahannock Noblesse Blanc Table White from a winery we visited in Virginia recently. The bottle ran us $16.50 minus a 5% discount, had a real cork closure and oddly didn't list the alcohol content on the label.

The wine smelled sweet, with aromas of apricots, tropical fruit, and pineapple dominating. In the mouth, I found mandarin oranges, pineapples, and other tropical fruit. The wine had a tangy element to it, a bit prickly, almost like the sensation slightly overripe pineapple leaves in your mouth.
It had good structure and acidity and would be really nice chilled for a summer quaffer.

It's not often anyone describes a wine as tasting like grapes. In fact, I've heard and read that it's considered poor form for a wine to taste like grapes. But since it's made of grapes, it just doesn't seem wrong to me for wine to actually taste like grapes on occasion, rather than the myriad of other fruits, vegetables, meats, leather, earth, spices, etc., that can be found in wine.

The wine was a 2006 Rapphannock Cellars Norton. We picked this bottle up at Rappahannock Cellars early this winter for about $17.50, it clocked in at 13.3% alcohol by volume, and had a real cork closure.

It literally smells like Welch's Grape juice. I know grape juice is made of Concord grapes, but if I didn't know this was wine, I would have thought it was Welch's. In case you don't know, Norton is a grape that is actually native to North America, and is grown primarily here in Virginia and Missouri, I believe. I've seen it at a few vineyards here and I haven't been such a fan, but I really thought this was a fun version of it. In addition to the grape juice on the nose, I found grape Pixie Stix, so grape juice with a tart, sour note. It tasted exactly the same as it smelled.

Overall I'd describe the wine as adult Welch's, grape juice with a kick. I really liked the slightly sour note. A fun take on the Norton grape.

I do not care for Cab Franc much, at least the ones I've had produced here in the states. They are often thin, acidic, vegetal, and just not good. So it took me by great surprise that I liked this wine, and liked it enough to take a bottle home!

The wine was a 2006 Rappahannock Cellars Cabernet Franc. It clocked in at 13.4% alcohol by volume, had a real cork closure, and cost us $22 at the winery minus a 10% discount.

On the nose the wine was peppery, with vanilla, currants, and spice. It was just a little bit vegetal, but not in a bad way at all. In the mouth I found spice, earth, and currants. The wine was tannic, but as it opened up, I got flavors of tart blackberries in the wine.

A VA Cab Franc I wouldn't hesitate to recommend!

The wine for the evening was a Linden Vineyards 2005 Avenius Chardonnay. It clocked in at 12.8% alcohol by volume and had a real cork closure. This was a gift from a guest at our PS tasting back in December.

On the nose of the wine I found pear, oak, butter, and toast. Or perhaps buttered toast. In the mouth the flavors were entirely of pear and apple. The wine had a slightly oily mouthfeel, and the flavors were smooth.

Overall I thought this was a well done VA white. It was not overpowered by the oak and butter that I found on the nose, but seemed to have just enough oak to give it a full body.

I served the wine with spaghetti carbonara, a recipe I was trying for the first time. I'm not sure if it was the recipe, or if I did something wrong, but it was quite dry. I don't expect my carbonara to be creamy per se, but this was just dry. I got the recipe from my Silver Spoon cookbook. I don't think I'll try that one again, but I will keep looking for a good recipe, carbonara is one of Matt's favorite dishes.

Village Winery in VA, that is. I picked this bottle up at Village Winery on our tour this summer, it cost $17, clocked in at 12% alcohol by volume, had a fake cork, and I believe it is NV, or at least I can't find any vintage info on the bottle.

On the nose I found spice, smoke, leather, and raspberries. Oddly enough, I also smelled what I can only describe as fireworks after you've shot them off. In the mouth the wine was fruit, light and pleasant, showing raspberries and a bitter chocolate essence. Overall, a little tannic and a little too sweet to go with the pasta and fresh tomato sauce.

Just a short review today, for a not too complicated wine. The wine was a 2002 Loudon Valley Vineyard Red Table Wine. We picked this bottle up at the vineyard for $9, it had a real cork closure, and clocked in at 12% alcohol by volume.

The wine was sweet with spices, cloves, cinnamon, and cherries on the nose. In the mouth the wine was sweet with raspberries and currants. It was very sweet. I think it needed to be very chilled, which is not something I usually say about red wines, but this was very sweet. I served it with linguine, homemade sauce, and parmasean cheese. Not a good match, the wine was too sweet for the food.

And no photo either, I think I managed to delete the photo from my camera before uploading it.

The wine was a 2004 Loudon Valley Vineyards Vinifera White. We picked this bottle up at the vineyard this summer while meandering around Virginia Wine Country. It cost us $11.70 and Matt tossed the bottle before I could record the alcohol content. I know the wine has won several golds and silvers at various VA wine shows and we enjoyed a bottle the day we took residence on Loudon Valley's porch as well!

The nose of the wine was sweet with honey and apricot and a slight pine tree note. In the mouth, also sweet with honey, but with a nice tangy element to keep the sweetness in check. Mostly flavors of apricots and something slightly tropical. Definitely a wine and cheese wine or one to be sipped on its own!

Our final stop on our summer tour of Northern Virginia wineries found us at Village Winery. Village Winery is a fairly new addition to Virginia Wine country, being founded in 2005. They offer very small production wines that are all made without the help of any machinery. The tasting room is housed in a small part of a larger barn structure, as they are currently restoring the old, larger barn.

The tasting room is simple and fairly unadorned, with a small tasting bar at one end. My brother in law and sister in law were on our trip to Village and it was here they found their favorite wine of the trip. Some of the photos are courtesy of my sister in law!

Apple Wine: $12. Apple cider, crisp, sweet but not cloying. Matt, his brother, and our sister in law's favorite wine at Village. We took home two bottles, they took home one.

Viognier: $17. Peach, topical fruit, and odd sour/sweet note.

Cabernet Franc Rose: $15. Not sweet at all, very different, a bit medicinal. NMS.

Merlot: $17. Chocolate, raspberry, leather, light, nice body. A very good red effort. My favorite of the day, we took home one bottle.

Merlot Cabernet Franc Blend: $18. This wine also has Petite Verdot mixed in. Raspberry, blackberry, spicy, fairly light bodied. A good VA red.

Cabernet Franc: $17. All I got on this one was barnyard. It was recently bottled, I think it had bottle shock.

Elderberry Wine: $15. Sweet aroma, dark berries, very rich.

We met this camera-shy goat and his friend who didn't want to be in my picture on the way out! (And yes, I am the shorty of the family. Also, my brother in law felt that you all needed to see me in action, hence the picture of me taking notes!)

All in all, a very nice stop in a beautiful setting in Virginia. The scenery is one of my favorite parts about visiting VA wine country, especially on a beautiful summer day!

Apparently I need to take the camera away from Matt. I occasionally ask him to take a picture of the wine for me because he is opening it and pouring it and I am curled on the couch and too lazy to move. This is latest result, see my birthday post for what was supposed to be a picture of the cake.....

The wine was 2006 Doukenie Sauvignon Blanc that we picked up on our visit to Doukenie this summer. It cost us $16.20, had a real cork closure and clocked in at 12.5% alcohol by volume. The wine was finished in neutral barrels.

Overall, the wine was light and crisp. It showed grass and tropical fruit on the nose. In the mouth the wine was very tropical, with pears and a crisp finish. This was my favorite from our visit to Doukenie. I normally don't care for a Sauvignon Blanc that has seen oak, but I do really like this bottle. I think it's the first Sauvignon Blanc I've seen from a VA winery and I'm fairly impressed!

Our next stop in VA wine country found us at Corcoran Vineyards, formerly Waterford Vineyards (another big company that came after a little winery in VA for the name they were using...ya know, in case they ever wanted to expand into the wine business.....). Moving on though, Corcoran was a delightful place to visit. This was one of our stops when we went tasting with my brother in law and sister in law.

Unfortunately, the ceiling was a bit low in the tasting room, as it seems to be in a very old home, low ceilings are common around these parts. My brother in law and husband barely fit in and both had to duck to get in and out the door. Our tasting host was very welcoming and knew a lot about the wines she was pouring, and also a lot about beer festivals! Corcoran was pouring 4 wines the day we visited.
2005 Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay: $18. Pear, apple, sweet tropical fruit, crisp overall, yum! My favorite of the day, we took home a bottle.

2005 Cabernet Franc: $18. Raspberry, cherry, leather, tannic.

2005 Meritage: $24. A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. Barnyard funk, raspberry, cherry, tannic.

2006 Seyval Blanc: $12. 4% residual sugar. Orange blossons, citrus, sweet, with a crisp finish, nice mouthfeel. Matt's favorite, we took home a bottle.

A quick stop along a very windy road, but worth the trouble to find. Friendly people, gorgeous setting and tasty wine. Who could ask for more?

We picked this bottle of wine up at Corcoran Vineyards (formerly Waterford Vineyards) in VA when we took my brother in law and sister in law wine tasting last month. The wine is a 2005 Waterford Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay (as it was bottled before the name change was necessitated by a large corporation knocking on the door) and cost us $18. It had a plastic cork and clocked in at a mere 12% alcohol, very good for a weeknight wine!

The wine was fermented mostly in stainless tanks, and I believe put in neutral oak for a short period to finish it.

On the nose I found lemon, slight oak, green apple, and pear. In the mouth, the wine was smooth, with none of the oak flavor. I got flavors of lemon, lime, and green apple. The wine had a very nice finish and a creamy mouthfeel. Another good white offering from a VA winery.

I have to say that in my now over 4 years tasting in VA, the wines have come a very long way, and I am now routinely impressed by the various vineyards we visit. Hopefully we will have a chance to get to different parts of VA wine country this fall!

Traveling along our route in VA Wine Country for our anniversary celebration, we found ourselves at Loudon Valley Vineyards. We have subsequently returned to Loudon, as we very much enjoyed our first afternoon there.

Walking up to the tasting room, I was reminded of many of the old cabins I used to see in VT/NH when Matt and I lived up that way. It looked homey and inviting. Inside, the tasting bar was not large, but on our first visit we had no trouble getting a spot to taste. Even if you need to wait, there is plenty of seating inside and outside, if it's a beautiful day like when we visited.

Loudon Valley was our final stop for the day, and spent a good 4 hours tasting, walking the grounds and relaxing on the porch. The winery offers several options for eating, including a fruit, bread, and cheese platter that we took advantage of. It was fabulous, for $10 we got a beautiful plate with grapes, sliced apples, pineapple and strawberries, 3 kinds of cheese, and a full French baguette. We also picked up a bottle of chilled Vinifera White to drink with our late lunch and enjoy on the porch overlooking the vineyards.

The winery was pouring an amazing 13 wines to taste for the day:

2005 Chardonnay: $18. Lemon, pineapple, apple, light wine, slightly sweet at the end.

2004 Vinifera White: $13. Honey, apricot, sweet wine, good very cold. Matt really liked this, we bought 3 bottles.

2006 Classic White: $11. Spice on nose, peach, sweet and light in the mouth.

2006 Rose: $11. Spice, slightly sweet, red berries, slight smell of butter. We bought a bottle for the porch on our second visit.

2002 Cabernet Franc: $15. Spicy, tannic, currants, light and well balanced in the mouth.

2003 Merlot: $18. Berries, rum (I know, that's odd), tingly in the mouth, tannic.

1999 Merlot: $21. Smells denser than the 2003. Berries, cherries, plums, well done, smoother than the 2003.

2002 Dynasty: $15. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot blend. Raspberries, leather, spice.

2002 Sangiovese: $15. Smoke, barnyard, very light, berries.

2003 Pinot Noir: $15. Cherries, slight leather, light and fruity, well done. We took home one bottle.

2002 Red Wine: $10. Blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese. Sweet, fun, very different. We took home two bottles.

2005 Pomme: $9. Dessert wine made of Granny Smith apples. Too sweet for me.

2005 Chambourcin: $13. Very sweet, but not cloying. Blackberries.

All in all an excellent day, we had a blast hanging out here. Everyone was so nice and helpful, I hope we can return for Sunday Soup, hosted periodically throughout the winter!

The wine for the evening, served with my homemade pepperoni pizza, was a 2006 Hillsborough Serefina. We picked this bottle up at Hillsborough on our recent visit, it was my favorite Hillsborough offering that day.

The wine checked in at 13% alcohol by volume and had a real cork closure.

On the nose I found strawberry jolly rancher and watermelon. The wine smelled a bit sweet on the nose. However, in the mouth the wine was tart and much drier than I expected it to be. It showed strawberry and watermelon jello in a very nice balance.

The wine paired fairly nicely with our pizza though I think I would love to drink it sitting on the porch on a hot summer day.

Our second stop of the day found us at Doukenie Winery, formerly Windham Winery. Doukenie was our favorite stop of the day and we have already returned since our first visit. We were supposed to go back for a third visit for an event to meet their new winemaker, but unfortunately, the weather that was called for was terrible and there was no way we were heading out over an hour's drive with torrential rain on the way!

Doukenie looks like a friendly red barn as you drive up. The grounds are gorgeous, and if we hadn't had a few more stops we wanted to make that day we would have sat out by the pond for the afternoon and enjoyed the salad of the day and some of the cheeses that were for sale in the tasting room. When we arrived, we were the only guests in the tasting room, which gave us plenty of time to talk to the attendant, until the room filled up fast and furious about half-way through our tasting!

Overall, the wines at Doukenie were fantastic! The tasting menu was solid, and each offering was very good, I liked all the wines, a first for me at a VA winery. We liked it so much we took my brother in law and sister in law to visit about two weeks later, where our tasting was poured out on the porch on a gorgeous VA day by the brand new winemaker. He was great and really knew his stuff, you can tell he loves wine and I look forward to his first vintage at Doukenie.

2006 Sauvignon Blanc: $18. Light and crisp with lemon and orange zest. Barely a bit of oak from the neutral oak aging. My favorite of the day, we bought 3 bottles.

2006 Riesling: $17. I was surprised to see a Riesling in VA, a first for me I believe. Honey, tropical, mineral notes, slightly sweet. We took home 3 bottles.

2005 Chardonnay: $15. Slight butter, tastes like candy (maybe caramel?), with a slight tropical note. A little oaky.

Mandolin: $15. Flowers, red apples, sweet on the end of the palate. Matt's favorite of the day, we took home 4 bottles.

2005 Merlot: $18. Strawberry, light, good balance, very good for a VA red.

2005 Cabernet Franc: $19. Earthy, herbs, fruity, with jammy red fruit, slightly tannic.

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon: $23. Earthy spice, tobacco, raspberry, plum.

Hope's Raspberry Merlot: $21 for a small bottle. Just delish. Intense raspberry, tastes like fresh berries, amazing with dark chocolate. We bought 2 bottles.

If you are in the area, I would highly suggest a stop at Doukenie. I hope that we are able to visit many times in the future.

We're on a real VA kick over here at the Wannabe Wino house! Several trips have been made to VA wine country this summer, including two within the last month! I have lots to report on about 6 wineries we have stopped at for the first time, so look forward to those reviews.

We picked this bottle up for $13 (that's with a case discount) at Doukenie (formerly Windham Winery, hence the label on the bottle). It's a Doukenie Virginia Table White that clocked in at 12% alcohol by volume.

The wine was sweet on the nose with orange blossom, honeysuckle, and oranges. In the mouth I found orange creamsicle, madarin oranges, and honey. This is a sweet wine, though not cloying, and one I am happy having a glass of, but I'm not much for sweet wines. Matt loved this one, and he is a big fan of the sweet wines. It was easily his favorite at the winery, while mine was a toss up between the Riesling and the Sauvignon Blanc.

I served it with a concoction that I made up that evening from stuff in the fridge. It turned into chicken breasts stuffed with blue cheese and spinach, a side of mashed potatoes and broccoli. An interesting dinner, but not great with the wine. Again, the sweet wine didn't do much for me with the dinner and I preferred it on its own after dinner.

It's not so much that I forgot to report on the Key West Wine Fest at Breaux Vineyards that we went to on July 21, it's that we got incredibly busy as soon as we got back from it. And I simply never got around to reporting on the lovely day we spent at Breaux! We headed out to VA Wine Country to celebrate (slightly early since I was going to be away on business) my birthday! There's nothing more I like to do to celebrate events than use them as an excuse to go wine tasting! And it just so happened that Breaux was having a Festival the day we could go!

This was their second annual fest and it was fabulous! I believe the fee at the door was $15 to get in, but you could have purchased your ticket earlier for less money. Your ticket got you a wine tasting, lei, mardi gras beads, take home glass, entertainment and a raffle ticket. At the fest they had food vendors and craft stands in addition to the Jimmy Buffet cover band that was fabulous for the warm weather we were having. Matt tried the Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya from the Jambalaya shack and said it was very tasty. I opted for some brie and crackers from the winery as cheese and crackers is one of my favorites with wine.

Breaux had ten wines available for tasting under a huge tent that day, including the 2006 Jolie Blend that was just released that day!

2006 Jolie Blond $13-Grapefruit, lemon, citrus, light and dry, great really cold. We took home 3 bottles.

2006 Viognier $22- Peach, honey, tropical, smooth and light. A little pricey.

2005 Madeline's Chardonnay $18- Honeysuckle, pear, very aromatic, nutty. We took home a bottle which I drank for WBW!

2003 Barrel Select Chardonnay $20- Oak, charcoal (very odd), buttery, smooth, but lots of butter.

2006 Syrah Rose $22- Pretty salmon color, strawberries, not too sweet. I really like this one, but thought it was too pricey.

2006 Chere Marie $13- Dessert-likie, orange, tangerines, pears, sweet. We took home 2 bottles.

Sweet Evangeline $11-Oranges, tropical, too sweet for me.

2002 Lafayette $18- Raspberries, cherries, black pepper, very light red, solid red effort for VA.

2002 Meritage $29- Smoky meat, oak, spicy, raspberries.

2002 Cabernet Sauvignon $24- Cherries, raspberries, oak, light.

Overall, we had a fantastic day and I wouldn't hesitate to head back out for another fun day in the sun next summer!

We've been buying and drinking quite a few locally produced wines this summer. I love to visit the vineyards in the beautiful weather and I have some extra wine dollars as I needed to stop my clubs for the summer due to the heat, so what better way to spend them than on local wines?

I picked up this bottle of 2006 Breaux Vineyards Jolie Blond when we went to Breaux for their Key West Wine Fest, which I've been extremely negligent in writing up. You can hop on over to DC Gastronome where I noticed Leah had put up a very timely review of the event! I believe the wine cost around $16, was newly released that day, is 12.6% alcohol by volume and had a real cork closure. The wine is actually a Seyval Blanc, a grape I am not altogether familiar with, though I understand it is a French hybrid grape.

On the nose I found peach, lemon, and just a slight hint of oak. I would describe the nose as crisp. I didn't notice any oak in the mouth at all. I got citrus flavors, mostly orange and lemon. Overall the wine was crisp and light and quite dry. We drank this on its own late on a hot Virginia night when no amount of AC would cool our house down. It was really refreshing and a great end to the evening.