Jonathan Edwards Winery ~ The Reds

Marguerite Barrett
Vinoverve.com

As we rinsed our glasses and cleared our palates, Kylie, our host for the afternoon, began pouring the reds.  First up…

2007 Estate Connecticut Cabernet Franc  The only estate wine currently available, the Cabernet Franc is a nice, medium-bodied red which is eminently drinkable now, or can be aged an additional 3-5 years.  Barrel-aged for one year, the wine has soft notes of blackberry and cherry in the nose.  There’s a lovely soft mouth-feel, with notes of both cherry and blackberry, slight minerality and a soft finish.

2006 Napa Valley Zinfandel  A definite favorite among our group – medium-bodied with strong notes of berry, there are notes of pepper and spice in both the nose and in the mouth, which give this wine an interesting complexity.  Light notes of dark cherry in the mouth provide just a hint of sweetness before ending on a slightly spicy note.  Very interesting wine, and one of my favorites of the afternoon.

2006 Sierra Hills Zinfandel An equally strong wine, it was interesting to pair the two Zinfandels back-to-back.  There are definite notes of clove on the nose, and a while the Sierra Hills was not as fruity as the Napa Valley Zin, it was still smooth, rich and complex.   This would be a great wine for pairing with grilled steak and peppers.

2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon A full-bodied wine, with a strong, earthy nose.  Very spicy, with light notes of chocolate in the mouth.  While I found I preferred the Zinfandels and the Syrahs, I did note this as a wine I would definitely come back for.

2005 Napa Valley Syrah Hands-down my absolute favorite of the afternoon, and one of my favorites along the Connecticut Wine Trail to date.  Barrel-aged for 2 years, this is a deep, rich, full-bodied wine that has lovely notes of dark cherry and blackberry in the nose and mouth.  There are light notes of smoke and leather as well, which give the wine added depth.  This would be a great wine for pairing with hearty Fall or early Spring dishes, and the tasting notes indicate that this “stands up well to dishes with strong flavors such as lamb or duck.”  While definitely drinkable now, this wine can age an additional 8-10 years, and it is definitely worth the investment to cellar a few bottles.

2006 Napa Valley Petite Sirah  Grown in the Calistoga region of Napa, this is a dark, rich wine with lovely notes of plum and spice.  Deep, dark, dense color in the glass, the nose is rich and complex with notes of plum and a hint of chocolate.  In the mouth, the wine has an earthiness and minerality which is smoothed out by the notes of plum and dark chocolate.   A lovely wine, but my favorite remains the Napa Valley Syrah.

All in all, a lovely afternoon, and I’ll definitely be returning to Jonathan Edwards, on my own as well as with friends and out-of-town guests.  However, next time, I’ll probably try to time my arrival so as not to coincide with the end of the tour!

This entry was posted on June 4, 2009 at 12:05 am and is filed under Christy Mangle, Connecticut, Connecticut Wine Trail, Eastern Connecticut Wine Trail, local wines, Wine Tastings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.