Stonington Vineyards ~ Flight Two: Chardonnay, Rosé, and Cabernet Franc

Marguerite Barrett
Vinoverve.com

Stonington’s Tasting Menu is divided into two flights: the first a flight of three whites, the second a trio of one white, and the winery’s one rosé and one red.   If you opt for the full tasting (both flights, all six wines), the 2007 Chardonnay (the white included in Flight Two) is actually served immediately after the 2006 Sheer Chardonnay and before the 2007 Vidal Blanc.    If you select individual flights (rather than the full tasting), the 2007 Chardonnay kicks off Flight Two…

2007 Chardonnay Barrel fermented and aged in oak for twelve months, I found this to be a deeper and more interesting wine than the Sheer Chardonnay.  The nose is stronger than that of the Sheer Chardonnay and has floral notes.  In the mouth, the wine is crisp and smooth with that soft buttery finish one often finds in Chardonnay.  There are also lovely notes of vanilla that give the wine a nice depth.  Many people, I’m finding, don’t like oaking (even if they don’t realize that’s what they are reacting to), and for those folks the Sheer Chardonnay will likely be a winner.   I do, however, like oaking (when it’s not overpowering), and found that I greatly preferred the barrel fermented Chardonnay to the stainless-steel Sheer Chardonnay.

2007 Triad Rosé  I’m normally not a fan of rosés and blush wines, finding them often too sweet and too light for my taste.  But this wasn’t what I expected, beginning with the first pour.  The color is deeper than anticipated, a dark rose color that catches the light nicely in the glass.   The nose is subtle and rich, not too sweet, with bright citrus notes.  A blend of Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and Vidal grapes and aged in Oak for 14 months, the Triad is a drier style Rosé, with the Cabernet Franc providing a depth to the wine that I haven’t often found in local Rosés.  In the mouth, there’s a spicy pepper that is quite interesting and the oak provides a nice smoky finish.  According to our host, this is one of Stonington’s most popular wines, and I’m not surprised; the Triad is just light and sweet enough to satisfy the palates of those who prefer whites over reds and sweeter wines over dry, but has an interesting depth that would appeal to those who prefer the heavier reds. 

The final wine of the afternoon was the 

2006 Cabernet Franc A nice wine with a lovely medium-garnet color, there are strong notes of dark berries on the nose.  In the mouth, the berry notes are present but subtle, blending nicely with hints of tobacco and leather.  The finish is smooth and soft and lingers on the tongue.  While not a bad wine, I found it not as rich or interesting as Gouveia’s Cabernet Franc.

In general, while I didn’t dislike any of the wines, I also found I wasn’t overly impressed with any either.  To date, I’ve found at least one wine per winery that I’ve starred as an absolute standout, and usually taken several bottles home with me after each trip.   Of the Stonington wines, I definitely preferred the 2007 Chardonnay and the 2007 Triad Rosé over the others, but still didn’t find that either swept me off my feet.

This entry was posted on June 23, 2009 at 12:01 am and is filed under Christy Mangle, Connecticut, Connecticut Wine Trail, 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.