Virginia Wine and Vineyard Blog from Rappahannock Cellars

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HARVEST 2009! Posted: Saturday September 5, 2009 at 9:34 am EST
Yesterday marked the beginning of the 2009 harvest with the Glenway vineyard Seyval Blanc. Near perfect weather conditions these last few weeks ripened the clusters to ideal parameters. This year we are taking Seyval Blanc in a more fruit-forward, austere direction, even utilizing yeast common for use with Sauvignon Blanc. If this beautiful weather continues, we will look forward to another great vintage!
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JULY PRODUCTION TASTING: PORT Posted: Wednesday July 8, 2009 at 4:15 pm EST
The next Production Tasting will be held on Saturday, July 18 at 3:00 p.m. at the winery. This month's theme is Port. Here is the lineup: 1. 1970 Taylor's Vintage Port (Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman) PORTUGAL 2. 1977 Taylor's Vintage Port (Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman) PORTUGAL 3. 1994 Taylor's Vintage Port (Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman) PORTUGAL 4. 2003 Taylor's Vintage Port (Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman) PORTUGAL 5. 2006 Rappahannock Cellars Red Dessert Wine (Norton) VIRGINIA 6. 2007 Rappahannock Cellars Red Dessert Wine (Norton - barrel sample) VIRGINIA Port is a wine that many consider more a reflection of the winemaking than the grape from which it is made. It is a fortified wine, meaning that its alcohol comes from both natural alcoholic fermentation and added grape spirits (distilled wine - brandy). The tradition surrounding the origins of Port explains that brandy was added to preserve the finished wine for its long voyage from Portugal to England, though why/when it was added to fermenting wine, to arrest the fermentation and maintain its sweetness, is lost in history. The '70, '77, '94, and '03 represent four of the best six vintages of the last 33 rated vintages in Portugal. Taylor's is considered one of the best "shipping houses"in Portugal. Red Port is a sweet and alcoholic (~20%) wine made from the varieties: Touriga Nacional Tinta Roriz Touriga Franca Tinta Barroca Tinto Cao Tinta Amarela These wines will be paired up against our Virginia Red Dessert Wines made entirely of the Norton grape, but also made by adding grape spirit. In Virginia, wineries are prohibited from producing any wine greater than 18.0% alcohol. Thus our Virginia Red Dessert Wine is 17.9% alcohol. The cost is $75.00 per person and the event is limited to 11 people. Each wine is a two-ounce serving and the tasting will be conducted blind, meaning we will not know the producer or vintage of the wine until all the wines have been tasted. Contact me (Jason) directly at jburrus@rappahannockcellars.com to RSVP. Please do not call the winery as e-mail is the best way to contact me.
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VIOGNIER PRODUCTION TASTING - SAT. JUNE 27 Posted: Wednesday June 17, 2009 at 11:44 am EST
Update 6/24: Taking requests for the waitlist Viognier Production Tasting Saturday, June 27 at 3:00 p.m. here at the winery Viognier is a variety that almost fell into extinction only 40 years ago. Its native home is France, at the northern end of the Rhone Valley called Condrieu. It began to be planted in other areas of the world in the 1980s, particularly in California, but also in Virginia at Horton Vineyards. While its native climate is hot and dry, its loose cluster and thick skin make this variety suitable to Virginia's summer humidity. While Viognier is fast becoming "Virginia's white wine," it is only the state's 3rd most-planted white-grape variety, behind Chardonnay and Vidal Blanc. Jancis Robinson, the famous UK wine writer, has written a very thorough review of this variety on her website, which you can view by clicking here. Here's the lineup: 1. 2007 Du Mol, Lia (California / Sonoma / Russian River Valley) 2. 2007 Alban Vineyards (California / Central Coast) 3. 2007 Alban Vineyards (California / Central Coast / Edna Valley) 4. 2007 Novy Family Wines (California / Sonoma / Russian River Valley) 5. 2005 Chateau Grillet (France / Rhone / Condrieu / Chateau-Grillet) 6. 2007 E. Guigal Condrieu La Doriane (France / Rhone / Condrieu) 7. 2008 Le Paradou (France / Vin de Pays Vignobles de France) 8. 2008 Cinquante Cinq (France / Vin de Pays D'oc (Languedoc)) 9. 2007 Rappahannock Cellars (Virginia) 10. 2008 Rappahannock Cellars (Virginia) not yet released Limited to 10 people. Cost is $55.00 per person and is charged to your credit card prior to the event. Two-ounce pour per wine. This is a blind tasting and the producers will be announced after all the wines have been tasted. Chateau-Grillet is both the name of the producer and the name of the appellation, a condition known as "monopole" in the French appellation system. RSVP to me (Jason) directly at jburrus@rappahannockcellars.com
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REVIEW - BORDEAUX-BLEND PRODUCTION TASTING
Posted: Tuesday June 2, 2009 at 9:15 am EST

Another great production tasting took place this past Saturday here at the winery. I unveiled for the first time the 2006 "Super" Meritage, and together with the 2006 Meritage, we tasted some of the best red Bordeaux blends on the market.

There was only one dud for me, and the others were all at least very nice wines. Before I unveiled the producers, I took a vote of everyone's first and second place wines. Surprisingly, the $300 Chateau Pavie did not get a single 1st place vote, though it was the second place wine for two of us (including me). The big winners were the 2005 Chateau Pape Clement ($179) from Graves in Bordeaux and the 2005 Ornellaia ($165) from Tuscany, each receiveing four first place votes and three second place votes. The two Rappahannock Cellars wines combined garnered one first place vote and two second place votes - not bad considering the competition!

This month on the 27th, the theme will be Viognier. Details to come shortly.

-Jason

Vintner of Rappahannock Cellars

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MAY PRODUCTION TASTING - RED BORDEAUX BLENDS Posted: Monday May 4, 2009 at 3:42 pm EST
Our next production tasting will be on Saturday, May 30, here at the winery at 3:00 pm. Here is the lineup: 1. Chateau Pape Clement 2005 (France / Bordeaux / Graves / Pessac Leognan) 2. Chateau Pavie 2005 (France / Bordeaux / Saint Emilion) 3. Ornellaia 2005 (Italy / Toscana / Bolgheri) 4. Montes Alpha M 2005 (Chile / Santa Cruz Valley / Apalta) 5. Flora Springs Trilogy 2005 (California / Napa Valley) 6. Conn Valley Vineyards Right Bank 2006 (California / Napa Valley) 7. Rappahannock Cellars Meritage 2006 (Virginia) 8. Rappahannock Cellars "R" (Super Meritage) 2006 (Virginia) Conspicuously absent from this lineup are the more famous Napa Valley red "blends." These wines are often more than 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, which qualifies for a "Cabernet Sauvignon" label. The purpose of these tastings is to compare wines that are made of similar varieties to our Rappahannock Cellars wines, and Cabernet Sauvignon does not constitute a majority variety in our Meritage blend. Three of these wines are a majority of Cabernet Sauvignon, but only one (the Alpha) contains over 75%, and was chosen to include Chile in the lineup. Price is $94.37/person. Limited to ten people. Direct inquiries to me (Jason) at jburrus@rappahannockcellars.com.
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REVIEW - CHARDONNAY TASTING Posted: Monday May 4, 2009 at 3:26 pm EST
Had another great tasting on Saturday, April 25 here at the winery. We tasted ten Chardonnay wines from France (4), California (4), and of course our examples from Rappahannock Cellars (2). Opinions were all over the place as far as favorites went. For me, it was the 2006 William Fevre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. Fresh, acidic, and tight, it's not exactly "user-friendly," but the purity and focus was sublime. Many prefered the California examples, especially Sonoma's Hanzell Vineyards 2005. May's tasting theme is Red Bordeaux blends.
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CHARDONNAY PRODUCTION TASTING APRIL 25 Posted: Tuesday April 7, 2009 at 10:25 am EST
Update 4/9/09: Event is full, but I will take reservations for the wait list. Be on the lookout for the next month's announcement. The May production tasting theme is Meritage / Bordeaux reds. Our next Production Tasting will occur on April 25, at 3:30 pm at the winery. This time we are looking at Chardonnay. This variety has not received much attention lately, but it is the most popular wine in the U.S. and is the most planted grape variety in California. It's also the number one white wine variety in Virginia, far out-selling Viognier. We will taste ten wines, some of which are considered the best examples of Chardonnay in the world. Here is the line-up: 1. Domaine Fevre (France) - Chablis Grand Cru (Burgundy) Les Clos 2006 2. Domaine Fichet (France) - Mersault (Burgundy) Les Tessons 2006 3. Vincent Girardin (France) - Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru (Burgundy) 2006 4. Philippe Colin (France) - Chassagne Montrachet (Burgundy) 1er Cru Chenevottes 2005 5. Hanzell Vineyards (California) - Sonoma - Chardonnay 2005 6. Hanzell Vineyards (California) - Sonoma - Chardonnay 1999 7. Lewis Cellars (California) - Sonoma / Russian River Valley - Chardonnay 2007 8. Savannah·Chanelle Vineyards (California) - Santa Cruz Mountains - Chardonnay 2007 9. Rappahannock Cellars - Virginia - Chardonnay 2006 10. Rappahannock Cellars - Virginia - Chardonnay 2007 This will be a blind tasting. Cost is $85.00/person and will be charged to your credit card about ten days before the event. Limited to ten people. This event will fill up fast and I will maintain a standy-by list of ten people. Please direct inquiries to me (Jason) at jburrus@rappahannockcellars.com.
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