Pollak Vineyards: The Best is Yet to Come

This blog is in the midst of a significant transition to a new URL with a new name, new look, the whole nine yards.  In the meantime, here is a quick note on a lovely wine that is a sign of things to come from a relatively new winery.  Pollak Vineyards is a family-owned winery founded in 2003 just outside of Charlottesville, Virginia.  My wife and I happened upon it by chance shortly after its doors opened in 2008.  I remember being very impressed with the quality of the wine at such a young establishment.  A few nights ago I decided to put my tastes to the test by bringing a bottle of Pollak’s 2007 Estate Grown Viognier to a small gathering with some of my favorite wine fans.

It was well received.  The wine was medium bodied and crisp, with a bright, fruit-forward palate and good acidity.  It went well with several different light foods, including tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, green salad with cherries and walnuts, and a bit of roast chicken.  Socializing distracted from more detailed notes; luckily, I can refer you to John for a full analysis.  The bottom line is this is a wine that can be enjoyed by experienced wine aficionados and newbies alike.

Of course, it’s been a year since I have been to Pollak, so they have a new vintage on sale.  If you are interested in trying their 2008 Viognier, you can find the tasting notes here.  I am down to one Pollak wine in my cellar, their 2006 Cabernet Franc.  I have noticed on their website that their 2007 Cab Franc is out, along with a 2007 Reserve.  I may need to find my way back down there before too long.

$18 per bottle

Just Don’t Let Your Date Catch You Checking the iPhone

An iPhone app for wine? Check. I wonder what their criteria are for recommending specific wines, but the varietal suggestions could certainly be useful if you need a quick judge’s ruling . . . and you can’t check here, of course.

Tired of Tapas?

Me too.  So is Wonkabout.  Based on personal experience, I concur in the 5 Guys and Levante’s recommendations.

Still Green at Barrel Oak: One Year Later

About a year ago, I wrote about the green measures taken at the soon-to-open Barrel Oak Winery. This past week, John had a great post checking in on the wines Barrel Oak is producing one year after arriving on the seen.

John also talks about two wineries I have yet to visit — Vintage Ridge and Aspen Dale.

Highlights from a Jaunt Through Virginia Wine Country

Over this past holiday weekend, I had to work on Saturday and a little on Monday, but Sunday was another story. It was a perfect day (minus a couple of showers) for a quick trip into Virginia Wine Country, the Northern Virginia Region to be precise. Here are the highlights:

Chester Gap Cellars: This is a small, family-owned winery and vineyard with a beautiful view of the surrounding hills and forest. It’s worth the trip, particularly if you like Viognier.  Chester Gap makes three different 100% Viognier wines wines with varying degrees of oak aging. I personally preferred the first one I tasted, which was fermented entirely in stainless steel.

Linden Vineyards: The cellar tasting never disappoints. While I was sad they were not tasting their 2008 Sauvignon Blanc on this particular day (East Coast Wineries recently noted the Washington Post’s praise for this and other VA sauvignon blancs), my disappointment was tempered by sampling their 2006 Hardscrabble Chardonnay. It had excellent acidity and was not over-oaked.  You’ll want to grab multiple bottles of this well-balanced wine.

Chateau O’Brien: The Virginia Apple Wine really is ridiculously good. Oh, and if it is your first time I would recommend scheduling a Cellar Collection Tasting, as the winemaker does a mean Tannat. Unfortunately, if recollection serves, the 2005 is sold out. I think the 2006 is available at $69 per bottle.

Pearmund Cellars: Just my luck, the Malbec sold out mere hours before we arrived, but the Cabernet Franc was excellent. Their new vintage of Viognier was just bottled and shows some good potential.