Continuing to dig through my pile of tasting notes that I've written over the past 6 months, I came across this gem that I had completely forgotten about. Enjoy!
Candia Vineyards Noiret Vault Reserve
Country of origin: USA
Region: New England
Appellation: New Hampshire (not an official AVA!)
Stats: 13 % ABV, dry
Cost: don't remember--$10-15 retail
Appearance: Deep, dark purple. Strong legs with maybe some gas bubbles
Aroma: Deep, dark cherries, toasted oak, and aromas of black pepper and spice.
Taste: Strong green & black pepper with an abundance of dark fruit--blackberry & currants. A tannic finish with a lingering pepper taste. Much like an Australian Shiraz
This wine comes to us from a boutique winery in Candia, New Hampshire. I stumbled across it during a visit to Abbey Cellars wine shop in Lincoln, NH and was intrigue because I had made wine from Noiret grapes in 2006. Noiret is a new hybrid grape varietal developed by the genuises at Cornell University and has only recently begun to be planted commercially for winemaking. This grape was designed to produce a robust, bold red wine in cold climate regions like New York, Pennsylvania, and other Eastern States. One would think that New Hampshire winters might be a challenge, but Candia pulls this off. They were the first to plant the grape in New Hampshire (a dubious accolade considering the paucity of wineries/vineyards in New Hampshire), and have been producing the wine from their grapes since at least 2006. The 2006 and 2007 vintanges have each won several bronze medals at various wine competitions.
Salute,
a Wine Student
Monday, December 29, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Nashoba Valley Winery Chrysleton
Digging back through my stack of wine tasting notes, I came across the wine I selected for Thanksgiving Day dinner--Nashoba Valley Winery's Chrysleton. I had gotten an email update from Nashoba earlier in the week that recommended pairing the Chrysleton with turkey, so I decided to give it a try...
Nashoba Valley Winery Chrysleton
Country of origin: USA
Region: New England
Appellation: Massachusetts (OK, that's not an official AVA)
Stats: 11 % ABV, 1% residual sugar, 20% European elderberry/80% estate apple
Cost: $11 at the winery
Appearance: Light brownish-garnet (lightly brown edge).
Aroma: Vegetable berries. Hints of chocolate and tobacco with a broad apple background. A rather unique aroma.
Taste: Some vegetative berry/apple taste with some tobacco in the finish. Fruity, but also complex. Paired pretty good with dark turkey meat.
I had tasted this wine earlier in January 2008 during a tasting visit to Nashoba (read details here), so I was looking forward to a repeat/reminder. Was very pleased with how it paired with Thanksgiving dinner. The fat of the dark turkey meat added some depth to the fruity taste and it even smoothed out the acidic punch of the cranberry sauce. The fermentation notes on the Nashoba Valley website indicate that the elderberries are added to the fermenting cider until the desired color is obtained and then scooped out. If I was the winemaker, I might push the color a little to get a darker wine, but that might lead to a bigger tannic punch than he was wanting. The 6-12 months in oak barrels add a nice subtle touch. Not overly oaky, but just a little firmness in taste.
Salute,
a Wine Student
p.s. I'm stumped on the name. Is there a secret meaning to Chrysleton? Google searching turns up mainly links to the Nashoba Valley website, or other wine review websites (that review the NV Chrysleton). Is this an old English name for elderberry wine? Is this a secret code to the Masonic Order of Eastern Winemakers? Inquiring minds must know!
Nashoba Valley Winery Chrysleton
Country of origin: USA
Region: New England
Appellation: Massachusetts (OK, that's not an official AVA)
Stats: 11 % ABV, 1% residual sugar, 20% European elderberry/80% estate apple
Cost: $11 at the winery
Appearance: Light brownish-garnet (lightly brown edge).
Aroma: Vegetable berries. Hints of chocolate and tobacco with a broad apple background. A rather unique aroma.
Taste: Some vegetative berry/apple taste with some tobacco in the finish. Fruity, but also complex. Paired pretty good with dark turkey meat.
I had tasted this wine earlier in January 2008 during a tasting visit to Nashoba (read details here), so I was looking forward to a repeat/reminder. Was very pleased with how it paired with Thanksgiving dinner. The fat of the dark turkey meat added some depth to the fruity taste and it even smoothed out the acidic punch of the cranberry sauce. The fermentation notes on the Nashoba Valley website indicate that the elderberries are added to the fermenting cider until the desired color is obtained and then scooped out. If I was the winemaker, I might push the color a little to get a darker wine, but that might lead to a bigger tannic punch than he was wanting. The 6-12 months in oak barrels add a nice subtle touch. Not overly oaky, but just a little firmness in taste.
Salute,
a Wine Student
p.s. I'm stumped on the name. Is there a secret meaning to Chrysleton? Google searching turns up mainly links to the Nashoba Valley website, or other wine review websites (that review the NV Chrysleton). Is this an old English name for elderberry wine? Is this a secret code to the Masonic Order of Eastern Winemakers? Inquiring minds must know!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Laurel Lake Vineyards 2003 Cabernet Franc
I'm slowly getting around to writing up my back-log of wine tasting notes. This one comes from a couple of weeks ago when I decided to open a nice bottle of wine to accompany a steak dinner that I made for myself.
Laurel Lake Vineyards 2003 Cabernet Franc
Country of origin: USA
Region: New York
Appellation: North Fork Long Island
Stats: 12.5% ABV, dry
Cost: $20 at the winery
Appearance: Clear dark ruby red.
Aroma: Dark cherry initially, followed by black pepper, tobacco, vanilla, caramel, with a nice smooth oak finish.
Taste: Medium body with a strong fruit flavor. Cherries abound with strawberries peeking through. Hints of green and black pepper. There is an underlying greenness or herbiness. The lingering finish is a little flat without a big tannin punch.
For those of you who keep count, this wine won a Gold Medal at the NY International Wine and Grape Juice Competition (don't know the year). I had picked this bottle up during my tasting trip to Long Island this spring. I had a very nice conversation with the winemaker's wife (both were from Chile). Laurel Lake is a relatively young winery (1999), but the vineyard is one of the oldest on Long Island. I believe that it bears watching in the next few years as they grow and develop. Reasonable prices and good wine! The 2003 Cab Franc is still available at the winery, so take a trip!
Salute,
a Wine Student
Laurel Lake Vineyards 2003 Cabernet Franc
Country of origin: USA
Region: New York
Appellation: North Fork Long Island
Stats: 12.5% ABV, dry
Cost: $20 at the winery
Appearance: Clear dark ruby red.
Aroma: Dark cherry initially, followed by black pepper, tobacco, vanilla, caramel, with a nice smooth oak finish.
Taste: Medium body with a strong fruit flavor. Cherries abound with strawberries peeking through. Hints of green and black pepper. There is an underlying greenness or herbiness. The lingering finish is a little flat without a big tannin punch.
For those of you who keep count, this wine won a Gold Medal at the NY International Wine and Grape Juice Competition (don't know the year). I had picked this bottle up during my tasting trip to Long Island this spring. I had a very nice conversation with the winemaker's wife (both were from Chile). Laurel Lake is a relatively young winery (1999), but the vineyard is one of the oldest on Long Island. I believe that it bears watching in the next few years as they grow and develop. Reasonable prices and good wine! The 2003 Cab Franc is still available at the winery, so take a trip!
Salute,
a Wine Student
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