Nashoba Valley Winery Visit

After church today, my wife and I decided to run down to Nashoba Valley Winery in Bolton, MA before we came home to watch the Patriots game this afternoon. Something I've been wanting to do ever since we moved here, but just haven't found the time yet. We left church at 11:00 and decided to see what restaurants we could find on the way to grab some lunch rather than go back home and fix lunch. Well, Bolton, MA is not exactly known for the quantity of restaurants within the city limit. We saw a grand total of two. One was a pizza joint inside of a tacky looking tourist trap just west of the I-495 interchange, and the other was J's Restaurant located on the winery grounds inside the old farm house. We opted to try J's Restaurant. The hostess informed us that they were normally booked solid, but had a little lighter traffic today because of the football game and had a free table available. Wow, what a find! The brunch spread was simply amazing: Cinnamon raisin French toast, gourmet egg strata, sausage, home fries with truffle butter, smoked trout and bluefish with capers, pork taquitos, Japanese seaweed salad, pumpkin bisque, farfalle pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and cream sauce, toasted banana bread, and three different salads including a nut salad with pecans, walnuts, macadamia, pistachios, and dried cranberries in a cinnamon caramel sauce. And then there was the cheese and dessert table! All that for $18.50 per adult.

After we were satiated, we ambled down to the winery and found a space at the tasting bar. Nashoba Valley specializes in fruit wines, especially apple. We started with the dry whites. First, a Baldwin apple wine that tasted nothing like apples--big burst of pineapple and citrus. Then a Chardonnay made from Massachusetts grown grapes--a big, full bodied, slightly buttery chard. Third, a Gravenstein apple wine with a little stronger apple taste, but still tasted almost like a sauvignon blanc. The last white wine we tasted was a dry vidal blanc. Another nicely made wine with big fruity nose that finished with a distinctly foxy taste.

Moving on to the reds, we sampled a blueberry/merlot that was quite good. A 50/50 blend of blueberry and New York merlot that was fermented separately and aged in oak before blending and bottling. Dark garnet color with very nice light berry aromas and smooth finish. Next was Chrysleton, a dry elderberry-apple wine that was an easy sipping light red. The elderberry added color and complexity to the apple wine. Almost like a róse.

We finished our tasting by sampling the dry blueberry and semi-dry blueberry wines. Good, but not my favorites. The dry blueberry was complex with strong tobacco and leather aromas and tastes. Perhaps a little too heavily oaked. The semi-dry blueberry was just lightly sweet, but had some oily notes in the finish.

All in all, a very enjoyable visit with some surprising fruit wines. All of the single varietal apple wines were almost indistinguishable from a white grape wine. I'd be interested in serving them along side a sauvignon blanc or perhaps a viognier to see difficult it would be to tell them apart. We ended up buying 5 wines to sample later, and those reviews will be posted here, so stay tuned.

The winery itself is in a wonderful location. The views across the orchards and vineyards are wonderful in mid-Winter, and I can only imagine how beautiful the views are when the trees and grass are green. They have plenty of picnic tables and space for summer picnics, as well as an outdoor space for weddings and gatherings. The tasting room is quite large, but the tasting bar is very small. The wine for sale is spread across a large area, but I can only imagine how crowded the tasting bar area gets in the middle of summer!

Salute,
a Wine Student

David Coffaro 2005 Barbera

On Saturday afternoon, I finished my chores and wanted to open a bottle of wine while I watched the Patriots advance to 17-0. After a little hemming and hawing in front of the wine racks, I chose a bottle of David Coffaro 2005 Barbera. Now, a lot of people don't care for barbera as a single varietal. It is used a lot for blending, but I've really enjoyed David's Barberas. I buy these as futures, but they might still be available in stores around San Francisco and Sonoma mostly.

David Coffaro 2005 Barbera
Cost:I paid ~$13 as a future. Retail now would be around $20-25.
Stats: 75% Barbera/15% Sangiovese/10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.2% alcohol
Appelation: Sonoma County
Sub-appelation: Dry Creek Valley
Appearance: Clear, dark maroon, almost inky. Nice legs!
Aroma: Big fruit nose filled with black cherries, currants, and raisins with hints of vanilla and toasted coconut.
Taste: Smooth, fruity foretaste. Almost floral. Big pepper and spice finish with a slight tannic pucker.

I've been drinking this solo, but it would undoubtedly pair very nicely with a steak, hamburger, or tomato pasta.

Salute!
a Wine Student

Plymouth Winery & Plymouth Bay Winery Visit

Earlier this fall, my wife and I took a day trip to Plymouth, MA. We spent the morning and early afternoon on the Duxbury Beach, enjoying the fall ocean breezes on a sunny, but somewhat chilly day. After lunch, the tide soon began to attempt to sweep our blankets away, so we packed up and decided to stop in Plymouth to walk around the waterfront. I must confess that I knew there were a couple of wine tasting rooms, so I gently pushed that option!

It was after Labor Day, so the crowds weren't bad. The streets were busy, but not overrun, and we easily found a parking space on Water Street. We first stopped for an ice cream cone, and then headed for the good stuff! Our first stop was the Plymouth Bay Winery, which was located at the back of a parking lot behind Isaac's Restaurant. There were 3 other couples at the tasting bar who graciously made room for us. They had only tasted two of the wines on the tasting list, so they agreed to wait for us to catch up. I don't remember the name of the server, but he was a hoot. He was semi-retired, very enthusiastic about the wines, and desperate to tell stories about the wines, the winery, and his life. So enthusiastic that he frequently forgot what he had just got done pouring, so we got a double shot of several wines! That always makes for a happy wine tasting!

Plymouth Bay Winery focuses on fruit wines like cranberry, cherry, and raspberry, as well as a white grape wine and a red wine made from Concord grapes. Most wines were off-dry to sweet, with Drydock White the only dry wine. Although I am not a sweet wine fan, I thought they were well made and balanced. The Drydock White was my overall favorite. I don't remember what grape varietals made up this blend. Vidal and Chardonnel? You'll have to visit to get the real answer. They were pouring two cranberry wines--Cranberry Bay and Cranberry Blush. The Cranberry Bay was straight cranberry finished too sweet for my taste. The Cranberry Blush was a blend of cranberry and white grape wine (vidal I think), which I thought was too light on the cranberry. The Concord grape based Colonial Red missed the spot for me, but I'm not a fan of Concord grape wine. Jam and juice, yes, but I don't like my wine tasting like grapes. My biggest complaint was the use of plastic water drinking cups instead of a wine glass.

After completing our tasting, we walked by Plymouth Rock and then wandered back up Water Street to find Plymouth Winery. Although one of the largest winery in Massachusetts (10,000 gallon production), this tasting room requires a sharp eye because it's located in in Village Landing Marketplace, an artist colony-type strip mall, with only a small sign to announce its presence. Given the warm welcome we received at Plymouth Bay, we were rather taken aback by the frosty reception upon our entrance into Plymouth Winery. Yes, it was busy with tourists, and yes, it was late afternoon, but smile for pete's sake!

Another long list of sweet fruit wines, but there were four dry offerings. The Mayflower Red is made from California Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and aged in American oak barrels. Decent, but not enough body with some off acrid tastes in the finish. I can't give you full tasting report because we quickly tired of the pushy tourists at the bar, the very small plastic pee cups, and the surly server. After a couple of tastes, we left to explore the rest of the town.

I look forward to going back to Plymouth Bay Winery to see how the new vintages taste. I will think twice about going to Plymouth Winery again. The names are confusing, especially with Plymouth Colony Winery west of town!

Salute!
a Wine Student

Lone Oak Estate Vineyards 2004 Merlot

Note: This is a previous post from a different blog in order to consolidate.

9/19/2006 Last weekend, I popped open a bottle of Lone Oak Estate Vineyards 2004 Merlot. I purchased the bottle when I visited the winery in early April this year for $18.95. All estate grown grapes from the wineries' vineyards just east of Jackson, MI. Deep red color, with some nice legs. Hints of tobacco and spice in the nose. Notes of pepper, bright cherry and cranberry flavors on the tongue. A little tart and tannic, this wine should age nicely for a few years (thank goodness I bought another bottle a few weeks ago!). Interestingly, the bottle I opened was not completely degassed as my Vacuvin pulled quite a bubble head.

I drank about 1/3 of the bottle on Friday night, about another 1/3 on Saturday, and finished the bottle of Sunday. The wine definitely improved with a little oxygenation after opening. The tannic taste had mellowed a bit by the second tasting.

Regards,
a Wine Student

Cherry Creek Wine Cellars Visit

Note: This is a copied post from a previous blog in a consolidation attempt.


10/10/2006 This weekend, my wife participated in the Reeds Lake Triatholon in Grand Rapids. My reward for going along and being her sherpa during the event (and the rain) was to be able to stop at some wineries on the way home. In the end, the only winery we visited was Cherry Creek Cellars at exit 127 on I-94 west of Parma. A word of advice: do not get confused and turn into the first paved driveway after exiting the freeway, you'll end up pulling into the parking lot for a new adult entertainment establishment. Since this isn't that kind of blog, we beat a quick retreat and found the correct gravel driveway. The winery/tasting room is housed in a smallish metal shed nestled in the midst of several vineyards. A two-year old vineyard of chardonnay beckons as you walk around the side of the building towards the tasting room door, which is framed by a trellis covered with some red grape vines bearing bunches of ripening grape clusters. Inside, the nicely furnished tasting room is on the small side. The tasting bar curves along the side of the room and will comfortably allow 6 people to belly up for some tastin'. I say 6 because while two other couples came in while we were tasting. While everyone still had some elbow room, I was glad that we were in the middle of a purchase when a 3rd couple walked in--eight would have begun to be crowded. The young guy behind the bar looked way too young to serve wine, but he was very knowledgable about the wines and how the winery operated. Did not catch his name, but he was a very pleasant server. A second bonus was that a lot of winery equipment was scattered around the back of the building, since harvest and crush season is rapidly approaching, so I got to salivate over a big rotary bladder press.

We enjoyed the visit, especially their dry red wines. The 2002 Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, and Enigma (100% cabernet sauvignon) were quite good. The Cabernet Franc and Enigma were surprisingly dark, lucious flavor bombs made from 100% MI grapes. Very reminiscent of CA cabs instead of the weaker MI cabs that I've experienced before. Made in the French style with all three spending time in 100% French oak.

I was not quite as impressed with the whites--more vegetable and barnyard flavors. There were also a number of semi-sweet grape and fruit wines. The apple was rather good, but the cherry and cranberry were far too sweet for our tastes.

I'd recommend visiting Cherry Creek Cellars. For those not traveling along I-94, they have a second tasting room in Cement City near the Irish Hills area and the Michigan International Speedway. The Parma site is the mothership, started 4 years ago when the winery was founded. Due to the increased tourism traffic near Cement City, that site brings in more income, but the wine is made at the Parma site. While they wait for their grapevine plantings to mature, they source their grapes and juice from other Michigan vineyards. I've got to make another trip when the winemaker is around to be able to pick his brain. He definitely knows how to make good reds from MI grapes (the recent accolades at the MI Wine Festival bear this out). This is a winery that has bears keeping an eye on in the future.

Regards,
a Wine Student

Lone Oaks Estate Vineyards Michigan Chardonnay

Note: This is a copied post from a different blog in an attempt to consolidate.

8/28/2006 Last night, I opened a bottle of Lone Oak Estate Vineyards Michigan Chardonnay to have with dinner (Lone Oak website). A very pleasant, dry chardonnay that paired nicely with BBQ turkey burgers, coleslaw, and corn-on-the-cob. A very light yellow color, the wine exhibits delicate floral, melon, and apricot aromas with just a hint of sugar in the nose. Unoaked, it has a slight tang on the tip of the tongue and a slight buttery feel as it moves towards the back of the throat. Not a strong taste, just some herbaceous green notes. Thankfully, none of the overwhelming butter and oak that I’ve come to dread in a chardonnay. The wine tasted much better when drunk cold. As it warmed up in my glass, I began to get a bit of a barnyard aroma in the nose. Attractively priced at $12.95, this is a decent wine for a hot summer day.

I believe the wine was made from estate grown grapes, although I would have expected a vintage label on the bottle. Since it was a non-vintage label, that may mean this is a blend of more than one vintages or blended with a vintage from another winery.

The bottle was purchased in early May 2006 at the winery and was stored in my basement wine cellar since then. Best place to find the wine is at the winery, but the Cork 'n Cap in Jackson carries Lone Oak wines. If others know of off-winery places to purchase Lone Oak wines, please let me know.

Note added 1/14/07: Lone Oak has made excellent progress in self distributing their wines around Michigan. See their website for the extensive list.

Justin 2003 Obtuse

What is the essence of college football except watching the BCS National Championship game and sipping a glass of port?

Jeez, how pretentious am I? Usually, I'm swilling a beer while I'm watching football (serious, I'm being truthful), but I opened my bottle of Justin 2003 Obtuse last night to mourn the end of the weekend and didn't feel like breaking into anything else tonight.

Anyway...

Justin Vineyards & Winery is a growing commercial enterprise in the Paso Robles region of California (www.justinwine.com). My wife and I visited there about 3 years ago. Given it's location (15 miles west of Highway 101 at the end of some winding country roads) outside of Paso Robles, you'd expect a rather sleepy little country winery. But these folks have some serious marketing strength and have build a fairly large company. I'm a big fan of their cabernet sauvignons and was a member of their Wine Society for a few years until moving to Massachusetts. I've built up a small library of wines that aren't readily available in wine stores, so I certainly relish them when I open a bottle.

Justin 2003 Obtuse
Stats: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% alcohol
Price: $75
Appellation: Paso Robles, CA
Appearance: Dark ruby purple
Aroma: Dark cherries and dried currants.
Taste: Surprisingly subtle. Dark cherries & currants on the foretaste without the high alcohol taste of a typical port wine. Gentle on the palate with smooth tannins. Silky, lingering aftertaste. A port that lets the fruit shine without overpowering alcohol.

Salute,
a Wine Student

Atteca Old Vines 2005

Since moving to the East Coast, I've decided to purposefully explore more of the European wines that are more common in wine stores around Boston. Having gotten my wine tasting start in California and the Midwest, I'm more versed in California and other West Coast wines, plus the usual Australian, Chilean, and New Zealand wines. I will admit that the language barrier is a definite bias--if I can't read the label, I really don't know what I'm buying. Add in my natural dislike of gambling, and it's difficult for me to take a $20-30 bet on an unknown wine. However, with a little help of my local wine guys, I'm going to explore more European wines!

That being said, this wine is from my cellar. It was given to me as a going away present this fall prior to our move, so I don't know the cost. A little Googling indicates you can find this wine for $14-18 around the country.

Atteca Old Vines 2005
Stats: 100% Garnacha from vineyards 3000 feet above sea level, 14.5% alcohol
Winery: Bodegas Ateca
Country: Spain
Region: Aragón
Appealation: Calatayud (~230 km northeast of Madrid) The satellite photos look fairly mountainous with a lot of farms in the valleys (what would we do without Google Earth?).

Appearance: Deep purple, clear
Nose: Alcohol burst with big blackberry jam aromas, almost like a fruit brandy. There's some underlying smokiness and oak.
Taste: Very fruity with lots of blackberries, dark cherries, and currants. Hint of leather and chocolate in the background. Mellow tannins. Initially smooth with a long finish, the high alcohol leaves a definite dry, pucker taste in the roof of your mouth.

My recommendation: don't stop drinking it! Just keep slurping away and you'll only hit that dry, pucker mouth once! Jokes aside, the high alcohol does make me think twice about taking another sip while I'm drinking this wine. I'm not a big fan of the current high alcohol, big fruit taste fad that's common in California wineries. At almost 15% alcohol, we just about in fortified wine land. This would seem to be an example of an Old World winery trying to produce a wine that appeals to New World wine tastes. Do they really think we're that simple?

I am intrigued by the picture on the label. Is that supposed to be bamboo leaves or wheat stalks? No bamboo that I know of in northeastern Spain, so that's probably not it. Wheat stalks may be the ticket, although perhaps it's firework trails captured in an open exposure format. My picture doesn't do it justice, so make sure you pick up a bottle at your local wine store and decide for yourself.

Salute!
a Wine Student

Blacksmiths Sparkling Maine Cranberry

I seem to be on a fruit wine kick at the moment. Of course, that may helped by the fact that it was New Year's Eve and I didn't have any other champagne in the cellar! My wife and I enjoyed this wine over a meal of Shrimp & Vegetables Stir-fry and home-made egg rolls while awaiting the beginning of 2008.

Blacksmiths Sparkling Maine Cranberry
www.blacksmithswinery.com
MSRP: $15
A blend of 75% cranberry & 25% Vidal Blanc
9.5% Alcohol by volume
Color: Light orange-pink
Aroma: Initial burst of cranberries and citrus with a floral finish
Taste: Sweet cranberry with a nice medium body and lingering finish. Nice balance of acid and sugar for a nice sippin' bubbly. Not overly effervescent.

Due to current Maine law, Blacksmiths is unable to sell or ship outside of Maine. However, their wines can be purchased at the winery and a number of retail shops and restaurants around the state. I purchased this wine at Big Jack's in Boothbay Harbor, ME for $16.99.

In the fall of 2006, my wife and I visited Blacksmiths Winery in South Casco during an anniversary trip to Maine & New Hampshire. I'm not going to try to remember all the details, but they make a variety of wines from local Maine fruit and grapes from New York and Washington state. I particularly liked their Columbia Valley Lemberger, but I drank that bottle a long time ago! Now that we're living in New England, we'll have to make a trip back to Blacksmiths for another visit.


Salute!

A Wine Student