Exploring Wine in Virginia

Let me provide a short update for those that haven’t visited this blog previously. I am not a wine expert by any means. My lovely wife is the reason I started this section on wines. She, being the wonderful partner she is, provided me with a membership to the Virginia Wine of the Month Club this past Fathers Day. That started the adventure of relating my tasting experience each month. Over the past three months I have been having a lot of fun with it. For past articles go to the drop down menu on the right that says Select Topic then choose Wineries or Wine & Travel to read where we have been so far.

Now let’s get to this months’ selection. I always like to say a little about the vineyard. August previews the CHRYSALIS VINEYARDS in Middleburg, Virginia, Loudoun County founded in 1997 by Jennifer McCloud, the winemaker is Alan Kinne. This Winery has the largest planting of the Native American grape the Norton east of the Mississippi. Therefore, the selection that I received is a bottle of the 2006 NORTON.

The first thing that caught my eye was the beautiful label. If you were buying wine based on the label you would definitely purchase this one. I found it fantastic. Maybe a little whimsical, but tastefully done.

After seeing this label I am thinking for the first time about getting one of those label saving kits and starting a scrapbook.

You are probably saying by now, enough about the bottle, what about the wine. Well without tasting it I am going to provide you with a little of what the Virginia Wine Club says in its newsletter. (In Parenthesis are my words.)

Like I said before I am not a wine expert I only pretend to be one on the weekends. Now I quote “In the glass, the 2006 vintage is opaque filled rim to rim with a deep shimmering garnet. ……”open in the glass a few minutes, or better yet decanting,” “….opens up the wine’s jammy licorice and plum filled nose.” (I guess there are some that decant their wines. If you do please let me know if it makes a difference. I may try it with this one.)

“The attack is fairly sharp leading to a robust mid palate” (as opposed to front or rear palate I guess) “that has layers of dark stone (?) fruit flavors.” “The full bodied dark cherry finish lingers nicely and features a minimalist rounded tannic structure.” (Next stop Barnes and Nobles for a wine dictionary)

“The round tannic structure and bold mid palate makes this an excellent pairing for traditional Italian dishes.” (So I guess it goes well with pizza.)

Later this week ,I will post in my words, what I think of this wine. I may wait until the weekend so I can take my time with it. You wouldn’t want me to rush this would you? Based on the label it has to be good so taking my time is important.

If you don't want to miss the next wine post you can subscribe and be notified via email on my main blog at CharlottesvillebyDave

Also, if you would like information on homes for sale near a vineyard just let me know. I am a REALTOR® "Licensed to Sell Real Estate in Virginia"