Blue Ridge Foothills, Northern Region
Quièvremont Vin
Virginia Meritage Red Blend 2012
This was worth the 5+ years I waited and invested in this rappahannock co (?) family wine. Really sang herbal harmony with wifey’s perfect Wooloomooloo BeefStew Roast. Tannins have tempered at 7yrs+ to let the sweet red fruit sing a few solo lines. — 4 years ago
Early Mountain
Petit Manseng 2020
My first Virginia wine. Petit Manseng (and a small amount of Chardonnay and Pinot Gris) from different vineyards around Madison, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in central Virginia. Rich, creamy. Baked apple and tropical fruit notes. Great with food — a year ago
Quièvremont Vin
Virginia Petit Manseng 2019
This PM did everything right, that all you can ask for, eh!?! It had character of profile (tropical, floral, then a racy finish). A real sophisticated wine from a new rookie winemaker :) — 3 years ago
Ridge Vineyards
Lytton Estate Vineyard Syrah Blend 2017
Cheers to more blue skies in northern California! 💙 The 2017 Syrah, Grenache, Mataro from Ridge Vineyards is a lovely new world GSM blend 🍷
62% Syrah
27% Grenache
11% Mataro (Mouvedre)
This Syrah dominated wine exhibits aromas of red currant, raspberries, plums, thyme, cedar, oak, and some pepper. On the palate, you'll get a fruit driven viscous sensation probably as a result of the malolactic fermentation. The seemingly sweet tobacco flavors linger on the palate with a slightly bitter aftertaste.
14.2% ABV. Medium-plus body.
This Southern Rhone style wine did great on a Thursday night! 🍷
Cheers!
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#gsmblend #gsmwine #rhonestyle #rhonestylewines #ridgewines #californiawine #syrah #syrahwine #mataro #matarograpes #winegirlwines — 4 years ago
Desire Lines Wine Co.
Shake Ridge Ranch Syrah 2017
It’s pretty easy to over-do Syrah in this location. Desire Lines does a phenomenal job of keeping dessert-like pleasure and seriousness of terroir in check. Lifted and fruited like a modern northern Rhône or Cru beaujolais with a little less seriousness to boot but also this is young and booming. Held straight for 5 days. Get the feeling that this will resolve very slowly over time to show more what earthy and cool characteristics it has in its hand. This wine feels extremely stable and a kaleidoscope of possibilities lay herein. — 4 years ago
Château Thivin
Famille Geoffray Côte de Brouilly Gamay 2019
Château Thivin, Côte de Brouilly, Vintage 2019, ABV 14.1%.
Côte de Brouilly is a Beaujolais Cru named after the blue volcanic hillsides from which this wine comes, and where Château Thivin is located, in the northern part of the Beaujolais region. 🇫🇷
This wine is made exclusively from Gamay grapes which were grown on old vines, which may have contributed to the concentrated fruit aromas and flavors of this wine. 🍇
This wine has a nice structure. It is dry with medium(+) acidity, a medium(+) body, high alcohol, medium(-) tannins, and medium(+) intensity of aromas and flavors including black cherry, blackberry, plum, raisin, violet, lavender, chalk and slate. It has aging potential, but is delish even as a baby.
This wine was aged for 6 months in oak foudres prior to bottling.
We’ve paired this wine with a chicken schnitzel and a watercress-apple and fennel relish. It is a lovely complement. — 3 years ago
Gaï-Kodzor
Viognier 2019
Sensual, captivating, caressing, stupendous & utterly fresh 100%Viognier aged in inox for 7 months.
Dedicated 4ha plot at at foothills of Caucasian mountains (5km to Black Sea).
Pale lemony, light emerald glitters.
Refined and delicate yet confident nose of saturn peach, mango, white plum pith, wet stones, thyme, apricot, pear, canned pineapple, white currant leaf, white grapefruit, blooming lemon, lily of the valley, with very touch of white pepper.
Crisp and focused palate. Medium body (12.5%), vibrant acidity. Decently mineral of limestone. Sweetie, green apple, white currant, rhubarb, feijoa, carambola, white plum scents.
Persistent and refined finish of white currant peels, pippin apple, pomelo and sea minerals.
Paired Faroe salmon steak.
90/100 — 4 years ago
Vanessa
Hello, California Syrah!!
From everything we’ve read, the Alder Springs Vineyard sounds like a truly majestic place.
It’s isolated in an undeveloped part of northern Mendocino County, situated in California’s North Coast region, where the steep and rugged terrain meet sweeping views of the ocean, bordered by rivers, redwoods, and snowcapped mountains… elevation stretches up to 1,800 feet above sea level.
It’s no wonder so many acclaimed producers, like Pax Mahle, source their fruit from here, where vines are sustainably farmed and cared for by Stuart Bewley. We were fortunate to visit Pax in Sebastopol in 2022, where we picked up this 2011 Cahto Ridge Alder Springs Vineyard Syrah. We’ve been waiting patiently to taste it. And here we are.
100% Syrah. Whole cluster fermented. Aged 12 months in neutral French oak barrels.
This wine is deep ruby trending towards garnet. The aromas are concentrated with ripe boysenberry, black cherry, blackcurrant, next to violet, black peppercorn, licorice, cured meat, peat moss, smoke, clove, leather and olive notes. On the palate, it is dry with medium (+) acidity, a medium (+) body, high alcohol (14.6% ABV), medium (+) fine-grained tannins, and a long, elegant finish.
It’s both elegant and wild all at the same time and we love it.
Cheers! — 3 months ago