In previous posts on this blog, you read about Bartholomew Broadbent, who owns Broadbent Selections imports, and has recently moved to Richmond VA, review some select vintage Virginia wines from my cellar; and also about the 20th anniversary tasting of top Virginia wines on 9/29 at the Richmond Capitol to celebrate October Virginia Wine Month. In the cellar tasting review he declared he was “amazed and pleasantly surprised by the quality of most” of the wines; we were pleased to see him at the Capitol tasting.

Here are highlights of Bartholomew’s tasting notes at that latter event. There were two tastings there, a “heritage” tasting of wines from 2000 to 1988, and those from 2001-2007. Here by permission are highlights of his notes in alpha order by winery:

“I was lucky to be invited by the Virginia Wine Board to two comprehensive tastings of the State’s wines. Some wines were labeled “table wine” therefore not listing the alc level on the label. Here is what I discovered, along with notes from one or two other tastings done recently, re-arranged alphabetically:”

AmRhein Wine Cellars 2000 Chambourcin 12.5% alc

Color, good depth, thick and solid. Nose, sweet. Almost port like but good and well balanced. Palate; attractive, big thick. Very well balanced.

 Barboursville Vineyards 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon 13% alc [ed.: 2007 VA Governor’s Cup winner]

Very sound color. Great cooked redcurrant nose. Lovely palate, great acidity, huge flavor, great length, very sound and youthful.

 Barboursville Vineyards 2005 Octagon [70%-80% Merlot, balance Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and approx 3% Petit Verdot]

Lovely color, intense blue red. Nose; simply superb, perfect balance, redcurrant and pomegranate. Palate; perfectly dry, lovely, almost Bordeaux like but not. Full, chewy.

Barboursville Vineyards 2001 Octagon, Fifth Edition [70%-80% Merlot, balance Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and approx 3% Petit Verdot]

Fabulous!

Breaux Vineyards 2000 Soleil – Late Harvest Vidal Blanc  12% residual sugar, 11% alc

Rich golden yellow. Deep. Attractive strong tangerine nose. Palate; sweet, attractive, rich, long, sugary, tangerine flavor.

Cardinal Point Vineyard & Winery 2006 Viognier  12.2% alc

Light lime. Attractive very citrusy fruit. Deliciously refreshing creamy, yet soft palate. Almost lychee. Medium length.

Chrysalis Vineyards 2005 Reserve  13.1% alc

Very deep, very big, opaque. Good nose. Palate; good acidity. Decent fruit and good acid. Very good wine.

Chrysalis Vineyards 2005 Barrel Select Norton  13.2% alc

Deep. Good intensity. Nose; OK but undistinguished. Palate; soft, creamy, med body to light. A bit thin on the aftertaste.

Doukenie Winery/Windham Winery 2007 Cabernet Franc (Barrel Sample)  14% alc
They had so many wines on the table that I asked “if I only taste one, which would you want me to taste?” The woman gave me the barrel sample.  It have very good color, very intense. The nose was good quality and the palate had good length. It was good enough that I tasted the other wines, despite being late for a dinner! I think the winemaker was French but did not have time to talk to him. I look forward to seeing more from this winery.

Doukenie Winery/Windham Winery 2002 Vintner’s Reserve  12.5% alc

Good color, medium depth, not yet mature. Very attractive cooked redcurrant nose. Palate; good body, good length, attractive and well balanced.

Jefferson Vineyards 2007 Viognier 13.8% alc

Very pale lime. Light, citrus, very clean and attractive nose. Palate; very attractive, rich, clean, long, simple but very solid. Excellent wine.

Jefferson Vineyards 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon 13% alc

Very sound. Still youthful. Good nose but not as classical or Bordeaux like. Palate; solid, still sound, good intensity, not as Bordeaux like but a good wine.

Keswick Vineyards 2002 Heritage  12.5% alc

Good color, attractive. Nose; clean good fruit. Palate; simple, attractive, good.

Kluge Estate Winery & Vineyards 2004 Sparkling Rose

Pale salmon. Clean, good and attractive nose. Palate; a touch sweet and candy like. Tutti-fruity.

[I drank this listening to Virginia’s Governor and a past one, giving excellent and witty speeches. It is nice to see politicians who like to drink wine].

Lake Anna Winery Non-vintage Enigma [40% Chambourcin, 30% Tannat, 30% Petite Syrah]

[This wine had an amusing crossword puzzle like label which gave clues to the grapes]

Good depth. Nose; interesting enough, good quality. Palate; Simple but well made. Attractive. OK but nothing great. Good everyday wine.

Linden Vineyards Hard Scrabble Red  2005 13.8% alc  [73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot, 8% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc]

[My apologies to the nice woman pouring the wine, I didn’t have time for any commentary from the table hosts and I lacked the southern politeness when I told her, in a gruff New Yorker manner, that I just wanted to taste the wine. Sorry!]

Very good color. The fruit on the  nose was a little simple. Palate; simple fruit. Medium depth. Medium quality. Their score of 85 points in the Wine Spectator struck me as very appropriate.

Naked Mountain Vineyard & Winery 1993 Riesling. [Tasted blind] 11% alc

Good color. Based on color, I guessed it at late 80s to early 90s. The nose was lovely but brought the guessing game to the early 90s. Very correct for its nose. Very appealing. On the palate, soft, very creamy, medium dry. Lacks acidity but that’s OK. In fact, it was delicious. If it had a little more acidity, it would have been more typical classic Riesling but a definite eye opener all the same.

Naked Mountain Vineyard & Winery 2005 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay  13.8% alc

Color correct. Attractive smoky nose, light wood, vanilla. Disjointed palate, not knit, but all the components are good quality. Good length. Might come together with age?

 Pearmund Cellars 2007 Viognier  13.7% alc

Pale lime. Nose; I know that Pearmund is the name of a family but the power of persuasion gave the impression of pear on the nose. Palate; very attractive, rich, big, long, lovely fruit. But did I detect pear flavor? That must be psychological. I wished I’d tasted it blind.

Pollak Vineyards 2005 Meritage   13.6% alc

Clean. Nose; very attractive good wine. Good nose. Palate; very good, clean, attractive, well made, good length.

Rappahannock Cellars 2006 Cabernet Franc  13.4% alc

Balanced fruit, rich, good fruit, not overbearing, warm fuzzy wine, great length, well balanced alcohol, extremely well made Cabernet Franc. I like it a lot.

Rockbridge Vineyard 1997 “Cabernet” [ed.: blend of the two cabernet grapes]

Good color. Very attractive old world Bordeaux like nose. Palate; lovely. Soft. Mature. Delicious. Perfect balance.

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