Priam Vineyards ~ The Reds & a Special Rosé (Connecticut)

Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

As I rinsed out my glass – and my palate – before embarking on the Red portion of the Tasting Menu, I was joined by a small group who had stopped by for a tasting and a young couple who wanted to pick up a couple bottles of local wine for a dinner they were hosting later that week.  Each time the door opened, the newest arrivals were greeted warmly by both the staff and the “regulars,” and it quickly became a very comfortable group with conversations veering in and out of each group: I continued my tasting with occasional discussion of individual wines with Gary Crump (owner and winemaker); the young couple asked for recommendations and then stayed to chat about vacations and travel, and Gary pulled out pictures of his recent trip to Mexico, and the other group began their tasting with comments about the wines being shared between the various groups as they progressed.  Outside may have been cold, gray and rainy, but inside everyone was relaxed, comfortable and generally having a great afternoon.

Priam Vineyards produces one Rosé, the Blackledge Rosé.  Normally, I include Rosés in with the list of White wines, but I accidentally overlooked it in my notes when I was typing up my comments about the Whites.  So we’ll start here.

A couple years ago, Gary Crump was approached by the Backus Hospital Breast Cancer Center, who asked him if he’d consider creating a wine to benefit Breast Cancer research.  Gary was up for the challenge, and decided on a Rosé for the pink color.  The result is the Blackledge Rosé, a light-bodied, off-dry Rosé with lovely notes of Rasbperry in both the nose and mouth.   15% of each purchase (not profits – 15% of the actual purchase price) is donated to the Backus Hospital Breast Cancer Survivor’s Fund; because of this Priam offers no discounts on this wine.

The Blackledge is the only Rosé Priam produces, so from there we moved on to the Reds:

Westchester Red A blend of Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon, Merlot, and St. Croix grapes, this is a semi-sweet, medium-bodied red table wine.   Barrel-aged for two years, the nose has a nice smokiness that blends nicely with the fruit overtones.  On the palate I detected notes of cherry and chocolate, although the chocolate is subtle, smoothing out the wine rather than overpowering it, and the wine finishes with detectable notes of black pepper.  Despite being a semi-sweet wine, and sweeter than I prefer for a red, I found myself starring this wine on my tasting menu and taking a bottle home.  I opened it the other day, and found it paired very nicely the pasta I was serving that evening.  One thing I noted is that I didn’t let it breathe long enough – I poured the first glass about 15 minutes after opening, and I probably should have let it breathe for at least half an hour, and possibly a bit longer.  The tasting notes indicate it could also be allowed to age another 2 years before drinking.  The Westchester Red is a Silver Medal winner in the 2008 International Eastern Wine Competition and the 2008 Amenti Del Vino International Wine Competition, and a Bronze Medal in the 2002 Amenti Del Vino International Competition.

Salmon River Red The Tasting Notes describe this as a “Bordeaux-style” blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon.  It is a medium-bodied wine with a lovely deep garnet color.  The nose has a strong, sweet fruit nose – quite lovely.  I detected notes of fruit, possibly blackberry, in the mouth, and there are distinct smoky notes from the oak.  The finish has a bit of a bite, and I suspect the wine would benefit from additional aging.  Barrel aged for 20 months, the wine can age an additional 3-5 years.  While I didn’t purchase a bottle that day, the next time I’m in the Colchester area, I plan on stopping by and picking up a bottle or two to cellar for a few years.  Another multiple award-winner, the Salmon River Red won a Gold Medal in the 2003 Amenti Del Vino International Competition and Silver Medals from both the 2003 and 2004 International Eastern Wine Competition.

St. Croix – PV The Reds concluded with the St. Croix, a medium-bodied red from 100% St. Croix grapes, the wine has lovely notes of cherry and blackberry in both the nose and the mouth.  Aged for two-years in the barrel, there is a rich, but not overpowering, smokiness to the nose that helps give depth to the fruit notes.  On the palate, the wine is smooth, with distinct notes of cherry, and a light spice finish.  The tasting notes indicate that the St. Croix can be aged an additional 4+ years, and while it’s definitely an interesting wine to drink now, I think it will grow more complex and interesting as it ages.  The St. Croix won a Gold Medal in the 2006 Amenti Del Vino International Competition, and a Gold/Double Gold in the 2006 Amenti Del Vino/Big E wine Competition.  It is also a Silver Medal Winner in both the 2004 and 2005 Amenti Del Vino International  Wine Competition and the 2004 Dolce-Best of CT competition and a Bronze Medal Winner in the 2004 International Eastern Wine Competition.

The St. Croix was the final of the table wines on the tasting menu, and we took a short break, cleansed palates and glasses and proceeded to the Reserve Tastings and Dessert Wines.

Tags: Priam Vineyards

This entry was posted on April 25, 2009 at 12:01 am and is filed under Connecticut, Eastern Connecticut Wine Trail, local wines, Marguerite Barrett, Win(e)ding Roads. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.