Priam Vineyards ~ Reserve Tastings & Dessert Wines (Connecticut)

April 28, 2009 by MTB

Priam Vineyards, Colchester, CT

Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

I’ve probably mentioned before that I know many people who won’t even try dessert wines, saying “I don’t like sweet wines.” I was one of those people for a long time, then I tried Ice Wine and realized that dessert, late harvest and ice wines are a different breed. Richer and more decadent, the sweetness in a good dessert wine is never cloying, and only enhances the depth and character of the wine. There are definitely examples of not-so-good dessert wines, but the benefit of a tasting is that you can try many without having to commit to the price of full bottles. And when you do find a good one, it’s heaven.

Priam produces two excellent Dessert Wines, the Essence of St. Croix and a Late Harvest Riesling. Both are available on the tasting menu for an additional fee, and I strongly recommend adding them both to your tasting.

Essence of St. Croix is the 2005 Vineyard Reserve St. Croix pressing. It’s fashioned as a port-style wine, and aged for two years in oak barrels which help provide the depth, richness and smokiness that give this wine so much character. The nose has strong notes of spice and smoke and a touch of cherry. In the mouth, the wine is rich and deep with notes of cherry and blackberry that provide the sweetness one expects of dessert wines. This was hands-down my favorite wine of the tasting. This would pair exceptionally well with strong cheeses, perhaps even more so than it would with a sweet dessert. As with amost all of Priam’s wines, the Essense of St. Croix is a multiple-award winner, garnering A silver Medal in the 2007 Amenti Del Vino International Wine Competition and Bronze Medals in the 2008 and 2002 Amenti Del Vio Internaitonal Wine Competions, and the 2006 Amenti Del Vino-Eastern States Wine Competition and the 2003 International Eastern Wine Competition.

The last wine on the menu that day was the

Late Harvest Riesling Gary Crump, owner and winemaker, mentioned the Late Harvest Riesling is one of their favorites. Slightly drier than the Essence of St. Croix, the Riesling has lovely notes of honey, peach and pear in both the nose and the mouth. A nice level of acidity lends a crispness to the wine which nicely balances the sweetness. I did like this wine, but not as much as the Essence of St. Croix, which I found to have a bit more depth and character. But both wines are excellent, and the Late Harvest Riesling would be lovely paired with fruit desserts or paired with chilled cheese and fruit on a hot summer evening. The Riesling won Gold Medals in the 2008 and 2003 Amenti Del Vino International Wine Competitions, a Silver Medal in the 2006 Amenti Del Vino-Eastern States Wine Competition and Bronze Medals in the 2008 and 207 International Eastern Wine Competitions and the 2004 and 2007 Amenti Del Vino International Wine Competitions.

With that, I ordered a few bottles shipped off to Gretchen and Kevin and grabbed a Westchester Red and a Salmon River White to take home for myself, said my farewells and headed back up Route 2 towards home.